MIAMI, United States.- The crew of the United States Coast Guard Raymond Evan repatriated 43 Cubans to the island on Tuesday, after several interdictions over the past weekend, said that federal agency in a release.
On Saturday, August 6, an aircrew from Air Station Clearwater alerted Sector Key West observers at about 12:45 noon of a rustic craft approximately 20 miles south of Boot Key.
That same day, says the official report, at 11:30 p.m., a good Samaritan notified the security guards of the Key West Sector about a rustic boat with people in the water, also located about 20 miles south of Boot Key. .
For its part, three interdictions took place on Sunday. The first occurred around 1:00 am, when the Coast Guard Cutter Forward crew alerted Sector Key West spotters to a rustic craft about 10 miles south of Big Pine Key.
Hours later, at 7:00 in the morning, the Cutter Forward Coast Guard crew alerted observers in the Key West Sector of a rustic boat, with several Cubans on board, that was about 10 miles south of Big Pine Key. .
The third interdiction on August 7 took place at 7:15 p.m., about 15 miles south of Islamorada, when a Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations team alerted Key West Sector watchers. of a rustic boat.
“The sea is unforgiving and trying to leave Cuba to reach the United States in an irregular and unsafe manner only compounds the risks for you and others,” warned Lieutenant Commander Ryan Newmeyer of the Seventh Coast Guard District.
“Use safe and legal ways to get to the US,” he added.
Illegal immigration of Cubans to the United States by sea has skyrocketed in recent months. Since October 1, 2021, the date on which the fiscal year begins, US Coast Guard crews have intercepted 3,912 Cubans.
The figure is only compared to that of fiscal year 2016, and is close to surpassing it. That year, 5,396 Cubans were intercepted at sea trying to reach US shores.
In 2017, 1,468 Cuban migrants were arrested trying to migrate illegally; in 2018 the figure was 259; 313 in 2019; 49 in 2020, and 838 in 2021.
According to the statement, once aboard a Coast Guard patrol boat, all migrants receive food, water, shelter and basic medical care.
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