67 migrants spotted off Florida Keys in one afternoon are returned to Cuba

Omar Rodríguez Ortiz
·1 min read
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After stopping five vessels off the Florida Keys in one afternoon, 67 migrants were returned to Cuba on Monday, U.S. Coast Guard said.

All detentions were made Saturday afternoon, the Coast Guard said Tuesday in a news release.

A Customs and Border Protection airplane crew alerted a Key West Coast Guard crew at 1:30 p.m. of a “rustic vessel” 28 miles south of Marathon, the military agency said.

Less than an hour later, Coast Guard crews located two more rustic vessels at 2:15 p.m — one was 22 miles south of Key West and the other one 37 miles southwest.

At 4:45 p.m., Coast Guard crews spotted a boat 17 miles south of Ramrod Key. One hour later, another crew detected a boat 24 miles south of Marquesas Key.

Authorities did not release additional information.

Coast Guard Cutter Charles Sexton’s crew alerted Coast Guard Sector Key West watchstanders of a vessel about 24 miles south of Marquesas Key, Florida, April 16, 2022. The people were repatriated on Monday, April 18, 2022.
Coast Guard Cutter Charles Sexton’s crew alerted Coast Guard Sector Key West watchstanders of a vessel about 24 miles south of Marquesas Key, Florida, April 16, 2022. The people were repatriated on Monday, April 18, 2022.

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“These voyages are dangerous on makeshift, rustic vessels without food, water, or safety equipment,” said Coast Guard District Seven Lt. Travis Poulos. “We urge family members in the United States to dissuade their loved ones from making this dangerous journey.”

READ MORE: U.S. Coast Guard stops overloaded sailboat with 132 Haitian migrants near the Bahamas

Another three groups of Cuban migrants — 33 in all — made landfall in the Florida Keys within about 24 hours between Sunday afternoon and Monday morning, U.S. Border Patrol said.

READ MORE: 3 more groups of Cuban boaters make it to the Keys within 24 hours, Border Patrol says

The Coast Guard tallies the number of migrants detained by fiscal year, which begin in October and end in September of the next year. Since Oct. 1 of last year, Coast Guard crews have stopped 1,399 Cuban migrants compared to:

  • 5,396 Cuban migrants in Fiscal Year 2016

  • 1,468 Cuban migrants in Fiscal Year 2017

  • 259 Cuban Migrants in Fiscal Year 2018

  • 313 Cuban Migrants in Fiscal Year 2019

  • 49 Cuban Migrants in Fiscal Year 2020

  • 838 Cuban Migrants in Fiscal Year 2021

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