The authorities of the Cayman Islands reported having sighted a rustic boat carrying seven people presumably from Cuba, who would have preferred to continue on their way instead of disembarking in the territory.
According to the Cayman Islands Customs and Border Control Service (CBC), the rafters were sighted around 5:30 am last Wednesday, May 8.
The makeshift vessel was initially spotted off the Queens Highway, but a few hours later, around 9:30 a.m., the rafters were spotted two miles off the coast of Cobalt, West Bay.
The CBC indicated that the migrants had decided not to stop in said territory, opting instead to continue their dangerous journey.
In recent months, the authorities of the Cayman Islands have reinforced surveillance in their waters, as this territory has seen a large influx of rafters trying to reach the United States, many of them decide to disembark there, but many do so after losing the road or be affected by local storms.
Currently, the Cayman Islands government faces several significant costs due to the migration crisis, as it is estimated to have to pay approximately $1,300 (USD) per month for each migrant that ends up in its custody.
Additionally, it is known that due to the long time it takes to process a deportation, the average cost for each person rises to about $11,700 before they can be removed from the country.
Dangerous trips at sea
The current economic crisis in Cuba, which is worse than that experienced during the 1990s in the so-called Special Period, has caused more and more people to try to reach the United States illegally, even if that means risking their lives in the sea.
Recently, it was learned of a group of eight Cubans who left the north of the Island bound for North American territory and ended up adrift. for more than 30 days before being rescued in northern Mexico.
According to the press, their improvised engine suffered breakdowns, leaving them at the mercy of tides and winds. As a result, four of them lost their lives on the trip, while the other four survivors were rescued in an advanced state of malnutrition and dehydration..
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