Between Wednesday and Thursday of this week, the United States Coast Guard “prevented the illegal migration”, without specifying the number of crew members, of five boats with Cubans that were heading to Cayos Marquesas. The rafts were detected from the air, in actions “to prevent illegal and unsafe companies,” according to authorities reported on social networks.
In fiscal year 2022, which ended on October 1, the record number of 6,182 Cubans detained when trying to reach the United States by sea was reached. This Thursday The Coast Guard confirmed that despite the hurricane season, rafting from the Island is something that happens almost daily. In seven days this month “66 rafters have been arrested,” confirmed Lieutenant Connor Ives.
The five recent interdictions come two days after US authorities repatriated aboard the ship william trump to 55 Cubans.
#breaking @USCG, @CBPAMO crews stopped 5 illegal migration ventures from landing on #MarquesasKey in the past 48 hours. Our air & surface crews are patrolling and on the lookout to save lives and prevent illegal, unsafe ventures. #DontTakeToTheSea #partnerships pic.twitter.com/wwwL57WpcT
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) October 6, 2022
The US entity alerted people to the danger resulting from the journey on rustic rafts. One of these boats with 27 originating from the Island she was shipwrecked on September 28 in her attempt to reach Florida. Nine survived from the shipwreck near Key West, 11 were not found and the bodies of seven deceased were recovered, two of these, announced in a statement to the office of Sheriff from Florida, were found in the vicinity of Boca Chica.
In an attempt to prevent the arrival of rafters, the Coast Guard reported this Friday that personnel from two corporations joined the tours “to prevent, deter and intercept attempts at illegal migration by sea.”
Neither Hurricane Ian nor the reinforcement of surveillance have prevented the arrival of rafts or speedboats. The head of the Border Patrol has reported on his social networks that 86 Cubans have managed to make landfall so far in October.
Among the many boats, on Wednesday a raft arrived at the Dry Tortugas National Park with some planks on empty plastic tanks and rubber tubes adapted as floats. That day, Slosar reported the arrival of 15 Cubans, who were taken into custody.
This Thursday 36 Cubans managed to make landfall. A group of 26 people arrived aboard a boat to Key Biscayne, an island linked to Miami by bridges and with one of the highest standards of living in South Florida. Another 10 migrants were arrested at Key Colony Beach.
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