Four rafters who arrived in Florida this Sunday were hospitalized due to the symptoms of “dehydration” they were presenting at the time they were detained by the Border Patrol. According to the chief officer of the Miami sector, Walter Slosar, they are part of the 53 Cubans who made the crossing in two boats.
The same official documented on his social networks the arrival of another five rustic boats last Friday, in which 90 Cubans achieved the American dream. Florida authorities describe the exodus of rafters as “alarming.” Between December 30 and January 2, 749 rafters managed to disembark and another 606 were intercepted by the US Coast Guard, according to figures from the Joint Homeland Security Task Force for the Southwest.
The flow of rafters, mostly Cubans and Haitians, led Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday to sign an executive order that allows you to mobilize National Guard troops and allocate new state resources to face the migratory wave that affects the south of the state.
According to Border Patrol figures, between October and November more than 460,000 people were apprehended trying to enter the United States through the Southwest border.
According to Border Patrol figures, between October and November more than 460,000 people were detained trying to enter the United States.
Last Thursday, Republican Senator Marco Rubio sent a letter to the head of the US Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, in which he highlighted the “continuous development of a humanitarian crisis that worsens” as the days go by.
This Sunday, the US Coast Guard repatriated to the Island on the ship Mohawk to 273 people. The rafters were disembarked in Matanzas, according to a statement. Lieutenant Commander John Bea stressed that “migrants continue to be intercepted and rescued from heavily overloaded and unseaworthy vessels.”
Bea reiterated that the rafters “intercepted at sea will be repatriated,” and also warned that they have close collaboration with other agencies to “prevent illegal entry into the United States through our maritime border.”
According to official figures, since October the Coast Guard has intercepted several vessels and prevented 4,795 Cubans from reaching Florida. The figure is very close to the 6,182 who were detained in fiscal year 2022.
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