Dozens of illegal immigrants have been returned to Cuba after being stopped in four vessels near Florida Keys, U.S. Coast Guard officials said.
Civilians spotted boats with a total of 45 Cubans late Wednesday night, about 12 miles south of Boot Key, toward the U.S. Coast Guard’s 7th District on Sunday.
Three other “rustic” vessels carrying more migrants heading to the United States were intercepted by a crew of Coast Guard cutters Charles Sexton on Friday, including one about 27 miles south of Long Key.
Photos announced by the Coast Guard on Sunday he showed migrants crammed tightly on small wooden boats, including one that looked very shabby.
“There is a great possibility that they will be stopped by the Coast Guard crew while migrating illegally through the Caribbean Sea,” said the lieutenant commander. Mark Cobb from the Seventh Coast Guard District said in a statement. “No one should risk their lives on unsafe rustic vessels in unpredictable seas.
The four bans at Florida Keys came just days after the Coast Guard returned 52 people to Cuba on Tuesday after being stopped south of Key West and other areas while in four boats and one inflatable boat, the Miami Herald reported.
Coast Guard teams have banned 2,464 Cubans since October, the largest exodus of migrants since 2016 – when nearly 5,400 Cubans were stopped while trying to enter the United States illegally, data show.
