MIAMI, United States. – A family of 20 Cubans arrived on the shores of the United States after setting sail from Cojímar, in Havana, in a speedboat and crossing the Straits of Florida in 10 and a half hours.
“We all arrived safely in the United States. We came in a speedboat with 20 relatives from Cuba, Cojímar, with a lot of work and sacrifices… Dream fulfilled”, wrote on facebook one of the members of the group, the user Sorjes Martín.
“We are already at the family house. Many of those who came with us families must be concerned. (…) We are already on US soil… and we all left Immigration today for the families’ homes,” added the Cuban.
Although most of the Cuban rafters that arrive on the shores of the United States are returned to the island by the Coast Guard, the 20 members of this group would have been admitted to the country due to the “serious political problems” they faced in Cuba, according to statements by Sorjes Martín to the independent medium CyberCuba.
“We sacrificed a lot… Those of us who were persecuted by the government, as in my own case, left goods and properties in Cuba,” he said.
The Cuban migrant also specified that the group arrived on US soil through the Marquesas Keys, several uninhabited islands that are west of Key West. On the way they had to overcome a storm, dodge border guards and a US Coast Guard ship.
“Everyone is fine, everyone is happy. A little stressed about the fact that we had to come out from behind a storm. We had to turn around three or four boats as well, and now finally a coastguard that fell behind us but couldn’t catch us because we’re really on a worthwhile boat,” says the Cuban in a video that summarizes the journey of the group.
“We brought legal papers from the boat, which is private, from the family,” Sordos Martín also assured CyberCuba.
“There they have ‘Ángela’, a tremendous cannon. The family boat, because here everyone is family. Everyone fled there from Cuba with a tremendous amount of political problems,” Sorjes Martín said on the recording.
Every week, dozens of Cubans approach the coast of Florida, 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.
This very weekend, the crews of the William Flores and Paul Clark Coast Guardsmen, of the United States Coast Guard, repatriated 80 Cubans after several rescue operations off the coast of Florida, reported in a statement the US body.
“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 warned Cuban rafters that it would strengthen surveillance in the Straits of Florida, with a view to dealing with the increase in irregular maritime migration.
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