Faced with the unstoppable increase in irregular migration, the Cuban government once again blamed the usual “enemy”, the United States. Thus, when reporting that 1,137 Cubans have been repatriated so far this year, the official press It collects from the authorities that the causes of this exodus are the US “blockade”, the failure to deliver at least 20,000 visas a year and the suspension of consular services at the Washington embassy in Havana.
This Wednesday, the Bahamas authorities returned to the island 45 migrants, 40 men and five women, originally from Villa Clara, Mayabeque and Ciego de Ávila. The returnees were intercepted on their journey and held until their return, according to Colonel Lázaro Delgado Chaple.
The group of migrants arrived on a flight to Terminal 5 of the José Martí International Airport. So far, 55 operations have been established to return Cubans who have left from the United States, Mexico, the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands.
This Tuesday the crew of the US Coast Guard Margaret Norvell transferred 21 Cuban rafters to the Bahamas authorities. Of these, 16 were located by the Miami Coast Guard in a 20-foot vessel, 55 miles northeast of Anguilla Key, and the other six were detected by a Customs and Border Protection plane in a 16-foot-to-six raft. miles south of Elbow Cay.
The official press collects from the authorities that the causes of this exodus are the US “blockade”, the failure to deliver at least 20,000 annual visas
The migrants were provided “basic medical care, food, water and shelter.” Petty Officer Third Class Patrick Nolan warned that weather and water conditions can change in an instant, so rafters “must expect the unexpected” on their journey.
Since last October 1, the Coast Guard crews have intercepted 210 Cubans, and between October 2020 and September 30 of this year, 838, which represents an increase compared to 2020, where they detained 49 rafters.
At another event earlier this week, the Virgin Voyages cruise ship, Scarlet lady, rescued eight rafters in the Straits of Florida. The migrants were in a rustic raft equipped with two oars, according to information from the portal Cruise radio.
The captain of the ship, which currently offers five-night cruise service to Cozumel, Mexico, and Bimini, Bahamas, announced that he would assist the rafters and one of them required medical attention. The migrants were turned over to the US Coast Guard off the coast of Key West.
Given the complex economic situation, there are no signs that the migration figures will decrease for the moment. Data from a survey shared by the Cuban Observatory for Human Rights last September indicate that the majority of Cubans live in poverty on less than $ 1.28 a day. The poll unveiled 45% claimed to have deprived of at least one meal a day, while 73% described their family’s diet as “deficient”.
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