The increase of Cuban rafters in the Straits of Florida has led the United States Coast Guard to consider their rescue in these dangerous waters as a priority in their daily work. However, all the rafters are returned to the Island.
The number of Cubans located and intercepted in the current fiscal year exceeded 3,000 until this Wednesday, the same day that the Coast Guard deported 32 migrants rescued in three operations in recent days off the coast of Mexico and the Florida Keys.
#breaking: @USCG Cutter Isaac Mayo’s crew repatriated 32 Cubans to #CubaWednesday, following three interdictions off of #Mexico and the #FloridaKeys.#DontTakeToTheSea
Read more here: https://t.co/Gw7Js10RFo@USEmbCuba pic.twitter.com/QJY54ZFtgY
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) July 6, 2022
In recent days there have been several incidents. A sample:
Last Thursday a sailor spotted a rustic boat with Cubans about 100 miles east of Cancun, Mexico, and reported them to the naval authority, the coast guard confirmed.
Last Monday, another artisanal vessel with an unspecified number of migrants from the island was reported to the Marathon Key Coast Guard station, this time about 14 miles southeast of Key Largo.
Also Monday, a pleasure boat crewman tipped off Key West Coast Guard officers to a rustic boat about 23 miles south of Marathon.
“Coast Guard crews maintain an active presence with air and sea assets every day across the Straits of Florida to help save lives by getting people out of unsafe environments,” said Coast Guard spokesman Lt. E’Bria Karega. Coast Guard District Seven, based in Miami Beach.
According to the official source, the Coast Guard places “a high priority on patrolling the high seas to prevent illegal migration, save lives by removing people from unsafe environments, and deter dangerous illegal activities.”
Cuba: “violence and aggressiveness” in events related to human trafficking
Since October 1, 2021, Coast Guard crews intercepted 3,067 Cubans, more than all those rescued between 2017 and 2021.
At the moment, the highest figure in recent years continues to be the 5,396 Cubans intercepted in 2016. In 2017 that figure fell to 1,468; in 2018 to 258; in 2019 it rose slightly to 313; in 2020 there were just 49; and in 2021 it grew to 838.
Cuba is experiencing its largest migratory exodus in more than half a century. On the southern border of the United States alone, the US authorities have reported the entry of more than 140,000 Cubans since the end of 2021, a figure that indicates the magnitude of the current wave of migrants, at a time when the island is suffering a severe economic crisis. and growing social unrest.
