MIAMI, United States. — The United States Coast Guard (USCG) repatriated on Monday 31 Cuban rafters who were detained in operations carried out in Cay Sal (Bahamas) and Long Key.
According to a report published on Twitter by that organization, the migrants were returned to Cuba by the crew of the cutter Joseph Poroo.
“The crew of the cutter Joseph Poroo repatriated 31 Cubans this Monday after two interdictions off Cay Sal, Bahamas, and one 10 miles off Long Key,” the statement said.
As usual, the US authorities insisted on the dangers of entering the Straits of Florida illegally and in vessels unfit for safe navigation.
“The weather is unpredictable. Do not jump into the sea or risk your life for a trip that you can take safely and legally,” warned the Coast Guard.
On February 17, Border Patrol agents detained 18 irregular Cuban migrants who disembarked in Key West, after crossing the Florida Straits on a rustic raft.
Maritime raids by rafters from the island have dropped significantly in recent weeks, especially since the Joe Biden administration launched the new policy of humanitarian parolevalid for Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan nationals, which seeks to promote safe, legal and orderly migration to the northern country.
Similarly, increased patrolling of the Florida Straits by federal agencies has limited the possibilities of rafters, who find it increasingly difficult to reach US soil.
From October 1, 2022 (beginning of the fiscal year in the United States) to February 14, 2023, they had been intercepted at sea at 5,590 Cubans. The vast majority of them were returned to the Caribbean country.
