The United States Coast Guard repatriated this Saturday to the Island 95 Cubans aboard the ship Paul Valentine. According to a statementthe rafters were arrested between last Tuesday and Wednesday after several interceptions in Playa Marathon, Cayos Marquesas and Cayo Víbora.
Since October 1, 2021, the date that marks the beginning of the current fiscal year, 2,319 Cubans have been intercepted in their attempt to reach the United States. “The possibility of being arrested while illegally migrating through the Caribbean is high,” warned Lt. Simon Juul-Hindsgaul.
On Tuesday, agents assigned to Key West were warned of a “rustic boat” near Marathon Beach. The Coast Guard did not release details on the number of rafters detained.
In recent months, the exodus of Cubans seeking to enter the United States using the sea as routes or following different routes through various Central American countries such as Nicaragua, Panama and Honduras has increased alarmingly.
On Wednesday morning, an “overloaded raft” was located 22 miles south of Cayo Víbora, for which members of the Cayo Hueso Coast Guard proceeded to intercept and arrest it.
In recent months, the exodus of Cubans seeking to enter the United States using the sea as routes or following different routes has increased alarmingly.
That same Wednesday there were two other intersections of groups of rafters, these near Cayos Marquesas. The first occurred at five in the afternoon 30 miles from Key West and a second occurred at night, when they located a raft 20 miles away. Lieutenant Juul-Hindsgaul asked the rafters “not to go to sea and choose a legal way to emigrate to another country”.
The Petty Officer Jose Hernandez warned last May that in the face of the exodus of migrants, “air and surface patrols in the Straits of Florida, the Windward and Mona Passages” were increased.
This reinforcement in surveillance allowed the Coast Guard to stop three groups of rafters last Monday. The 21 Cubans were expelled last Thursday and taken to the Island aboard the ship Paul Valentine. days before it was recorded repatriation of another 81 Cubans.
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