31 Cubans taken home after being caught off Florida Keys and Bahamas
The U.S. Coast Guard returned 31 Cubans to their home country on Tuesday who were stopped at sea in four separate incidents since last week off the Florida Keys, mainland and the Bahamas.
They were taken back to Cuba aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Kathleen Moore, according to an agency press release.
On Thursday, a U.S. Customs Air and Marine Operations crew spotted a boat about one mile east of Lake Worth in Palm Beach County. There were three people on board, two of whom the Coast Guard says are smugglers and one migrant from Cuba.
The smugglers were arrested, and the migrant was taken aboard the Cutter Margaret Norvell and reported in good health, according to the press release.
That night, a Customs Air and Marine Operations plane crew reported to the Coast Guard a boat about 58 miles south of Long Key. Several migrants were on the vessel and transferred to a cutter.
On Saturday, Coast Guard crews stopped a blue and green boat about 43 miles south of Key West, which had migrants on board. They too were taken on board a cutter, and were reported to be in good health, according to the Coast Guard.
Finally, around 8 p.m. Saturday, the Coast Guard stopped a group of migrants on a vessel 32 miles southeast of Anguilla Cay in the Bahamas.
Federal officials track migration by the fiscal year, which runs from October through October. This year is shaping up to be just as busy as fiscal year 2021, when 838 Cuban migrants were stopped at sea. So far, 248 Cubans were stopped by the Coast Guard and Customs since Oct. 1.
The numbers in both years tower over fiscal year 2020, when only 48 people from Cuba were caught attempting the dangerous maritime journey.
This story was originally published November 3, 2021 at 7:15 PM.
