Eight migrants from Cuba were stopped off the Florida Keys. They were quickly sent back
A Coast Guard cutter Saturday returned eight people to Cuba who were caught off the Florida Keys last week trying to reach the United States.
A group of seven migrants were spotted in a small “unsafe” sailboat off Islamorada Tuesday by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection air crew. The Customs crew alerted Coast Guard Station Islamorada, which sent a patrol boat to stop the vessel, according to the Coast Guard.
Another migrant was stopped off Duck Key, just north of Marathon, by a Coast Guard crew from Station Marathon and a Customs boat crew. That person was riding solo, said Coast Guard spokeswoman Petty Officer Nicole Groll.
U.S. officials in recent months have noticed an uptick in Cuba-to-Florida migration, with the numbers of those stopped at sea this fiscal year, which began in October, already surpassing the previous 12 months.
Since Oct. 1, 2020, the Coast Guard has stopped 87 people from Cuba trying to reach Florida by sea, compared to 49 in all of fiscal year 2020.
This story was originally published March 8, 2021 at 3:49 PM.
