36 migrants sent back to Cuba after being stopped near the Florida Keys, authorities say
.jpg "An Air Station Clearwater C-130 air crew alerted Sector Key West watch standers that there was a suspected migrant vessel about 75 miles off Dry Tortugas, Feb. 28, 2021.")
In a matter of four days, five suspected migrant vessels were stopped in the waters off Key West, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
In total, 36 people from those five stops were repatriated to Cuba on Thursday.
“People illegally entering the U.S. using smugglers put their lives in the hands of criminals,” Lt. Matthew Miller, enforcement duty officer, Seventh Coast Guard District, said in a news release. “The probability of a successful migration voyage is low, and when these voyages are stopped, people should expect to be returned to their country of origin.”
The first stop was last Friday when a cruise ship alerted Sector Key West that it had spotted a raft about 90 miles off Key West and the people on board were rescued.
Then a Coast Guard air crew on Monday spotted two vessels about 75 miles off Dry Tortugas. Three people from these two voyages were transferred to Homeland Security Investigations special agents for further investigation.
Also on Monday: An air crew alerted Sector Key West of a vessel about 60 miles south of Islamorada and an air crew spotted a vessel about 40 miles south of Islamorada.
It was not clear how many people were on each boat. When the vessels are stopped, the people on board are given food and medical care.
Only four months into the fiscal year, the U.S. Coast Guard said that 840 migrants have been repatriated to Cuba.
That total surpasses last fiscal year — which begins Oct. 1 and ends Sept. 30 — when 838 Cuban migrants were repatriated, according to the Coast Guard.
This story was originally published March 3, 2022 at 8:29 PM.
