SLP, Mexico.- The United States Coast Guard returned to Cuba this Thursday at 20 migrants Cubans and two dogs, intercepted at the end of December about 36 miles south of Key West, Florida.
A release The official explained that the crew of the cutter William Flores repatriated the group and the pets after the interdiction of an attempt at illegal maritime migration to the United States.
A Coast Guard Air Station Miami HC-144 crew notified Sector Key West watchstanders of a boat of migrants, on December 30, approximately 36 miles south of Key West.
By stopping them, the migrants They were processed to determine their identity and provided food, water, shelter and basic medical care before being repatriated to Cuba.
“Attempting to migrate illegally through the Florida Straits and the Windward and Mona Passages is not only illegal, but extremely dangerous,” said Lieutenant Nicholas Fujimoto, Coast Guard District Seven officer. “No one should risk their lives on unsafe rustic vessels in unpredictable seas.”
The Coast Guard highlighted that together with its partners from the National Security Task Force – Southeast, it maintains surveillance with air, land and maritime means in the Straits of Florida, the Windward Passage, the Mona Passage and the Caribbean Sea.
“HSTF-SE’s multi-level combined strategy aims to protect the safety of life at sea and prevent illegal entry by sea into the United States and its territories,” he explained.
US authorities had reported that some 18 migrants Cubans (five women and thirteen men) arrived on shores near the Key West International Airport on the night of December 30 and two of them were hospitalized due to dehydration.
The disembarkation of the rafters occurred on South Roosevelt Boulevard, according to reports from the US Border Patrol, which reported that the Cubans arrived ashore in a rustic boat.
Key West police initially detained six migrants and later found the others. They all had Cuban IDs and passports, they recognized the authorities.
Doctors took two migrants to Lower Keys Medical Center “due to dehydration and loss of sensation in their extremities.” The rest were delivered to the Border Patrol and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission secured his boat.
