Five Cuban migrants – one woman and four men – were rescued in the Caribbean Sea, between the Florida peninsula, the Bahamas and the Gulf of Mexico, by a cruise ship after drifting after abandoning a raft, reported Thursday the Mexican government.
After the rescue, which occurred on April 5, the group was transferred to the Mexican island of Cozumel and, it’s a statement The National Institute of Migration (INM) of the Ministry of the Interior (Interior) of the Government of Mexico indicated that agents of the institution “define” their migratory situation.
According to the migrants, in the first minutes of April 4, 20 people, including women and men, sailed from Cuba to the United States, but the outboard motor failed, so 15 of them gave up and swam back to the Island.
The remaining five decided to continue to somehow reach the beaches or pier of the American city of Miami. But, after drifting for hours between Florida, the Bahamas and the Gulf of Mexico, and with little water and food, they spotted a large tourist cruise ship, so one of them grabbed his white T-shirt and waved it in a sign of help.
After a couple of hours, ship personnel found them and put them on the ship, gave them COVID tests and gave them dry clothes, as well as drinking water and food during their journey through the Caribbean Sea, bound for the Mexican island of Cozumel. .
The report noted that on the afternoon of April 5, prior to disembarking in the Mexican Caribbean, the cruise ship authorities “established contact with the Secretary of the Navy (Semar) of Mexico, to report what happened and thus leave them in their custody. to the woman and the four castaways of Cuban origin”.
After that, Semar transferred the five Cubans to its facilities and later to the continental zone of the state of Quintana Roo, where they were taken to a provisional stay for their accommodation while their immigration status is resolved.
New group of irregular migrants returned by Mexico arrives in Cuba
Just on Wednesday, the Government of Mexico returned to Cuba a group of 32 irregular migrants from the island in the 13th operation of this type carried out from the country so far this year. In this way, 891 people who tried to reach the United States through Mexican territory have returned to the island, according to data from Cuban immigration authorities.
In recent months, the flow of irregular migrants from the island who seek to reach the United States using the sea as routes or following different routes through Central America has grown notably. So far in 2022, the Bahamas, Grand Cayman, Mexico and the United States Coast Guard have returned a total of 1,506 people to Cuba, between maritime and air operations.
Efe/OnCuba.
