MIAMI, United States. – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported this week that at least 69 of the 321 migrants who died or disappeared on maritime routes in the Caribbean Sea in 2022 were Cuban.
However, the figure could be higher, since only half of the disappeared could be identified.
According to Disappeared Migrants Project From the IOM, which carries out daily monitoring of these people, the number reported in 2022 constitutes a record and represents a sharp increase compared to that of 2021, the year in which only 180 deaths and disappearances were reported on the routes of the Caribbean Sea.
Of the total number of disappeared in 2022, 80 Haitians, 56 Dominicans and 25 Venezuelans were also identified.
“The main cause of death was drowning caused by bad weather conditions that make navigation difficult and the use of precarious boats in poor condition or that are not suitable for navigation on the high seas,” considered the IOM, an organization that belongs to the United Nations.
According to the data collected, a considerable part of the accidents occurred on routes to the United States.
Every week, dozens of Cubans approach the coast of the United States, where they are generally intercepted by Coast Guard agents and then deported to the island. However, many of them perish at sea before reaching land.
The Island is experiencing an unprecedented migration crisis, where not only the rafters intercepted by the United States Coast Guard are counted, but also the nationals who travel to Nicaragua and undertake the journey to the southern border of the northern country.
“Illegal migration in rustic and improvised boats without safety equipment, such as a life jacket, is dangerous,” has warned Petty Officer 1st Class Nicole J. Groll, Coast Guard 7th District. “Risking their lives during these adventures causes their loved ones unnecessary anxiety about whether they are safe or lost at sea,” she added.
Recently, the United States Embassy in Havana alerted the cuban rafters that would strengthen surveillance in the Straits of Florida, with a view to dealing with the increase in irregular maritime migration.
The diplomatic legation on the island published on its social network account Twitter several tweets accompanied by a statement, in which he assures that the migration crisis has become a National Security concern.
“Measures to prevent migrant deaths must begin with regular migratory pathways, defending the right of families to stay together and responding to the needs of migrants who are in vulnerable situations,” the IOM said.
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