MIAMI, United States. — A group of 21 Cuban rafters who had been intercepted on February 5 about 40 miles from Islamorada were deported to the island by the US Coast Guard.
The migrants were returned to the Caribbean country last Wednesday by the crew of the Isaac Mayo cutter, which has carried out several such operations in recent weeks.
“The crew of the cutter Isaac Mayo repatriated 21 Cubans on Wednesday after an interdiction of about 40 miles. SE of Islamorada, February 5. The weather continues to be dangerous in the Straits of Florida,” the federal entity said in its account. Twitter.
The figures provided by the Coast Guard in recent days show a drop in the number of deportations of Cuban rafters compared to previous months.
The previous report from that agency dated February 7, when 16 irregular migrants were returned to Cuba by the crew of the Isaac Mayo cutter.
Earlier, on Friday, February 3, United States Border Patrol agents had detained 29 Cuban migrants They landed in the Florida Keys.
The US Coast Guard reported on February 7 that during the current fiscal year it had intercepted 5,576 Cuban rafters606 less than all those registered in the entire previous year (6,182).
The immigration crisis in the Straits of Florida reached its climax last January with the massive arrival of hundreds of Cuban rafters on US shores. The situation forced the authorities to reinforce surveillance to contain the flow of migrants.
