Border Patrol arrests 20 Cuban migrants who landed in Key West in a homemade boat
Twenty Cuban migrants who landed in Key West on Tuesday were arrested after a treacherous trip in a homemade boat, U.S. Border Patrol agents said.
“The migrants were exposed to extreme temps on an overloaded homemade style vessel with no safety equipment,” wrote U.S. Border Patrol Chief Patrol Agent John R. Modlin in a Tweet on Thursday. “This type of journey from Cuba is dangerous!”
Early July 16, Border Patrol responded to what they called a “smuggling event.
The 20 Cuban nationals were taken into federal custody.
They had left Cuba on a rustic-style vessel and made landfall near the Southernmost Point landmark, which is at the corner of Whitehead and South streets in Key West.
“During their trip, the migrants were exposed to extreme tropical temperatures on an overloaded vessel that lacked safety equipment,” said Rob Brisley, a spokesman for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
“Once evaluated, the subjects were processed for removal proceedings and turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” Brisley said.
In 2017, the U.S. government ended the “wet foot, dry foot” policy that allowed all Cubans who set foot on U.S. territory to remain.
The Obama administration, in one of its last major foreign policy moves, ended the policy as it reestablished diplomatic relations with the Cuba.
In 2016, 1,845 undocumented Cubans landed on U.S. shores. And in 2007, the number hit 4,161.
This story was originally published July 17, 2020 at 2:30 PM with the headline "Border Patrol arrests 20 Cuban migrants who landed in Key West in a homemade boat."
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