Since October 2021, Miami authorities have intercepted more than 6,000 people at sea, something not seen since 1990.
The Florida authorities released a fact that turns on the alerts and seems like a return in time. The number of Cubans arriving by sea to the United States reached a record not seen since the 90s.
In the southern state, they observe a trend due to the growing number of immigrants, mainly Haitians and Cubans, who arrive on US shores in makeshift boats.
The United States Coast Guard intercepted more than 6,000 Cubans since last October, according to the agency. This is the most in a fiscal year since the 1990s.
“We’ve seen this before. It’s a natural phenomenon. However, seeing this increase is really worrying because we see more people on unseaworthy boats, putting many of them at very high risk.” of losing their lives,” said Walter Slosar, Miami Sector Chief Patrol Agent
Cubans have been fleeing the island for years, but recent unrest, persecution and shortages of basic goods due to the growing economic crisis have accelerated the exodus.
“People have arrived with stories of persecution by the government, due to their disagreement to participate in certain events, or because they do not agree with the island’s communist policy,” explained David Claros, director of the Immigration Legal Services of the Southeast Region at Church World Service.
As published by the CNN site, patrols in the area are complicated due to the variation of the terrain, which requires coordination between agencies on land, air and sea.
US Customs and Border Protection, US Border Patrol, and Coast Guard Air and Marine operations work together to identify and intercept migrants so they can be repatriated. However, if they do make landfall, they are taken into Border Patrol custody.
The report indicates that, although it is sought to intercept the migrants before they reach the coast, many manage to avoid patrols and reach the mainland.
So far this fiscal year, border authorities have arrested nearly 3,600 people in the Miami sector, which covers more than 1,200 miles of Florida’s coastline. Last year, arrests reached just over 1,000.
With information from ANSA
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