US Coast Guard intercepts 21 Cuban rafters in the Florida Straits

MIAMI, United States. — Despite numerous measures taken by the United States government to curb illegal immigration, Cubans continue to attempt to escape Cuba by sea.

This Thursday, the Office of Customs and Border Protection of the United States (CPB, for its acronym in English) reported in social networks about the arrest of 21 rafters from the island in a joint operation.

The migrants were intercepted last Tuesday by the Coast Guard (USCG) after that force received a report of an aircraft that was flying over the area.

“On May 9, a Miami-based MEA team detected a rustic vessel, suspected of transporting non-citizens. The MEA team relayed the information to the US Coast Guard sector in Key West. USCG reported having intercepted the ship with 21 Cuban immigrants on board,” CBP said on its Twitter account.

The task force of the Department of Homeland Security for the southeast of the country indicated that the migrants detained in the operation will be returned to the island expeditiously.

“Migrants attempting to reach the United States by sea illegally will be intercepted by federal law enforcement agencies such as the Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection and returned to their country of origin or departure.”

Since the Biden administration launched the humanitarian parole program for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans in January, the US authorities have closed the fence on illegal immigrants, both on the border with Mexico and in the Florida Straits.

In the case of Cuba, since last April the deportation flights from the USa measure that will speed up the repatriation of migrants from the Island who try to reach the northern country illegally, or who remain in it without immigration status.