Homeland Security officials reported that the United States Coast Guard took 337 migrants from Dry Tortugas National Park to Key West, where they will be processed.
The rafters are part of a group of 700 people, mostly Cubans, who arrived on the island in rickety boats over New Year’s weekend, prompting Florida officials to appeal to the federal government.
Today, Thursday, the Biden administration marked a tougher stance with migrants from Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua, while offering a new way for citizens of those countries to legally enter the United States.
Dry Tortugas National Park temporarily closed due to flow of rafters
More than 4,400 Cubans and Haitians have arrived in Florida since last August amid crises in both countries. Nearly 8,000 were detained at sea and returned to their respective nations, about 50 a day compared with 17 a day in the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
Authorities said at least 65 migrants have died since August trying to cover the dangerous journey in unsafe boats and craft.
Coast Guard Rear Admiral Brendan McPherson said in a statement that despite the increase “the southeast maritime border is not open.”
He asked Cubans and Haitians “to dissuade his family members in Cuba or Haiti from attempting a dangerous and often deadly journey.”
Associated Press/OnCuba/AFP.
