US stops hundreds of people fleeing Cuba and Haiti by sea, returns most

MIAMI (AP) — The Coast Guard on Thursday returned to the island another 177 Cuban migrants caught at sea off the coast of Florida, while a group of about two dozen Haitians swam ashore in Miami.

According to a Coast Guard press release, all Cuban migrants were intercepted separately off the coast earlier this month. They were repatriated by two Coast Guard boats.

Twenty-five Haitians who were traveling by sailboat from Porte des Pais, Haiti, swam ashore on Virginia Key, a small island southeast of downtown Miami, and were taken into custody by US Customs and Border Protection, agency spokesman Michael Selva. said.

Good Samaritans among the island’s beachgoers have helped some migrants disembark with small boats and jet skis, Selva said.

Dozens of additional migrants still on board the sailboat are being processed by federal officials at sea, which usually means they are returning to their home countries.

In recent months, a growing number of Cuban and Haitian migrants have been attempting to cross the dangerous Straits of Florida to enter the Keys Island chain and other parts of the state illegally as inflation soars and economic conditions in their home countries worsen.

The outburst among the Cubans was especially pronounced. Since October 1, 2022, the Coast Guard has detained more than 4,900 Cuban migrants at sea, compared with more than 6,100 Cubans intercepted in the entire fiscal year 2022 that ended September 30, according to a press release.

The latest returns and disembarkations came just after the administration of President Joe Biden launched a new policy to bring back Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans on the Texas border, as well as Venezuelans arriving illegally.

The administration is also offering humanitarian parole to up to 30,000 people per month from those four countries if they apply online, pay for airfare and find a financial sponsor.

Migrants who arrived illegally and did not immediately return home will not be eligible for a new parole. US officials hope this will deter those arriving by sea, offering a safer alternative and route to residence.

The US Embassy in Havana, Cuba, recently resumed immigrant visa processing and said on Wednesday that some original Cuban applicants had already been accepted under the new parole. In the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, prospective applicants have gathered at the immigration office in recent days to apply for the passports needed for the US program.

Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander. Mark Cobb said in a statement that with the new legal routes available to migrants, “we encourage all people to use the safe and legal means available to travel to the United States. Don’t put your life at risk by going to sea unnecessarily.”

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