Members of the United States Border Patrol (USBP), together with the US Coast Guard (USCG), rescued a group of 14 Cuban rafters who were stranded after making landfall in the National Park of Dry Tortugas, a series of islands west of Key West.
According to an official statement, these rafters arrived in Florida on Friday, April 12 aboard a rustic wooden boat.
Samuel Briggs II, head of the USBP in the Miami sector, took advantage of the statement to remember how dangerous trips made illegally from the Greater Antilles can be, since many of the boats used for this do not have the conditions suitable for making trips safely.
“Border Patrol agents, with the support of the Coast Guard, rescued 14 Cuban migrants who arrived at Dry Tortugas National Park in a homemade boat. These trips aboard homemade boats in rough seas are dangerous and potentially deadly,” the brief statement reads.
Key West, FL; Border Patrol agents with support from @USCGSoutheast partners rescued 14 Cuban migrants who arrived to the #DryTortugas National Park on a homemade vessel. These voyages onboard homemade vessels in rough seas are dangerous & potentially deadly. #floridakeys #Cuba pic.twitter.com/PYD6etJiPw
— Samuel Briggs II (@USBPChiefMIP) April 12, 2024
This event is similar to the one reported last week, when another 14 Cubans managed to make landfall in Tavernier, near Key West and Islamorada lAfter crossing the Strait of Florida aboard a homemade boat.
“Border Patrol Agents in the Miami Sector, along with partner agencies, responded to the disembarkation of a migrant in the Florida Keys. “14 Cuban migrants were taken into federal custody after arriving on a rustic boat,” indicated the statement shared on April 4.
Tavernier, FL; Earlier today, U.S. Border Patrol agents in the Miami Sector along with partner agencies responded to a migrant landing in the Florida Keys. 14 Cuban migrants were taken into federal custody after arriving on a rustic vessel.
#happeningnow #floridakeys #breaking pic.twitter.com/1kQCbSFFMS— Samuel Briggs II (@USBPChiefMIP) April 4, 2024
While the number of Cuban rafters trying to reach Florida illegally decreased after the Parole Humanitarian, which established sanctions against those who tried to enter the US irregularly, attempts to do so were never completely stopped.
As a result, authorities frequently reported the arrival of several groups of Antilleans who managed to evade USCG surveillance between Cuba and Florida.
#rescues #Cuban #rafters #stranded #Dry #Tortugas
