137 Cubans repatriated by Coast Guard
The Coast Guard says it intercepted 10 attempts by Cubans to make it to the United States via the Florida straits over the week before Tuesday. And on Tuesday, the Coast Guard repatriated all 137 Cubans stopped on those attempts to Bahia de Cabanas, Cuba.
The cutter Raymond Evans repatriated 62 Cubans and the cutter William Trump repatriated 75. The 7th District estimates 3,239 Cubans have tried to make the water trek since Oct. 1, 2015.
“We have seen an increase over the last year in the number of Cuban migrants trying to enter the United States via maritime means," according to a statement from Cmdr. Timothy Cronin, deputy chief of enforcement for the Coast Guard 7th District.
David J. Neal: 305-376-3559, @DavidJNeal
This story was originally published April 20, 2016 at 12:34 PM with the headline "137 Cubans repatriated by Coast Guard."