U.S. Coast Guard has intercepted over 3,000 Florida-bound Cuban migrants since October
The U.S. Coast Guard has stopped at sea over 3,000 Florida-bound Cuban migrants fleeing deteriorating economic, safety and political conditions in the Caribbean nation since October — more than the last five fiscal years combined, according to the agency.
The staggering figure comes as Cubans in Miami and their homeland on Monday commemorate the anniversary of a series of anti-government protests that happened simultaneously throughout the island last year. Hundreds of people — minors included — were arrested in Cuba for taking part in the demonstrations.
On Sunday, hours before #SOSCuba began trending on Twitter ahead of the anniversary, the Coast Guard returned 64 migrants to Cuba after locating them in four separate boats off the Florida Keys in less than 48 hours.
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A Coast Guard crew spotted a “rustic vessel” at 9 p.m. Thursday 25 miles south of Key West. Two and a half hours later, the same crew detected another boat in similar conditions 30 miles south of Key West.
On Friday, civilians notified authorities of two migrant vessels. The first one was found at 8:15 a.m. 14 miles south of Boot Key; the second at 5:30 p.m. 40 miles south of Key West.
EN ESPAÑOL: Guardacostas de EEUU han interceptado a más de 3,000 cubanos intentando llegar a Florida
“Migrating illegally in makeshift vessels, especially without life jackets or safety equipment, is incredibly dangerous,” Lt. Paul Puddington of Coast Guard’s District Seven said Sunday in a news release. “Please, for your own safety, don’t take to the sea.”
READ MORE: Gun battles at sea: Cuba says it was in shootouts with boats heading to pick up migrants
More than 140,000 Cubans have been detained at U.S. borders between October and May, surpassing the Mariel exodus of 1980 when 125,000 Cubans departed from the Port of Mariel near Havana between April and October of that year.
READ MORE: Lost contact with migrant relatives sailing to Florida? Here’s how to get their status
The Coast Guard tallies the number of migrants detained at sea by fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1 and ends Sept. 30 of the following year. Since Oct. 1 of last year, Coast Guard crews have stopped 3,067 Cubans compared to:
▪ 838 Cuban migrants in Fiscal Year 2021
▪ 49 Cuban migrants in Fiscal Year 2020
▪ 313 Cuban migrants in Fiscal Year 2019
▪ 259 Cuban migrants in Fiscal Year 2018
▪ 1,468 Cuban migrants in Fiscal Year 2017
▪ 5,396 Cuban migrants in Fiscal Year 2016
This story was originally published July 10, 2022 at 4:21 PM with the headline "U.S. Coast Guard has intercepted over 3,000 Florida-bound Cuban migrants since October."
