MIAMI, United States. — The United States Border Patrol detained this Friday 21 Cuban rafters who arrived in Key West at dawn today.
Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar reported on social networks that the group of migrants, made up of 17 men and four women, arrived in the United States aboard an artisanal vessel.
“Earlier today, 21 migrants from Cuba were taken into Border Patrol custody after making landfall at Fort Zachary State Park. The group of migrants arrived at approximately 1:00 am in a rustic boat. No injuries were reported,” the officer said on his Twitter account. Twitter.
Every day, dozens of Cuban rafters arrive illegally by sea to the United States. Most of them are deported after receiving rigorous care.
This Thursday, the Border Patrol itself intercepted 26 Cuban migrants (24 men and two women) in the vicinity of Key Biscayne, while last Wednesday, another 15 rafters were taken into the custody of that federal agency after making landfall in the Dry Tortugas National Park.
Previously, the shipwreck of a group of 27 Cuban rafters had been recorded, of which only nine were rescued alive. The rafters were swept away by bad weather last week as Hurricane Ian passed through the western Gulf of Mexico.
As of September 22, US Coast Guard vessels had repatriated 6,032 migrants from the island, the highest number recorded since the 1994 rafter crisis.
The US authorities have reinforced the call to Cuban citizens not to risk their lives in illegal maritime incursions in the Straits of Florida, adding that the vessels used for this purpose do not have the minimum conditions necessary for navigation in the open sea.
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