13 Cubans in a ‘rustic’ boat arrive in Florida Keys, and another group stopped offshore
Following a weekend when more than 40 people from Cuba arrived in South Florida, another group came ashore Tuesday morning in the Florida Keys city of Marathon.
The U.S. Border Patrol said 13 men arrived in a 15-foot “rustic style vessel” on Coco Plum Beach. Adam Hoffner, division chief for U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Miami operations, said the boat was powered by an in-board diesel engine.
Their arrival comes as the Keys and other South Florida areas are experiencing a surge in migration from both Cuba and Haiti.
The Coast Guard said Tuesday morning that it returned almost 40 people to Cuba who were caught at sea in separate incidences between last Wednesday and Saturday.
The Coast Guard stopped a migrant boat off Looe Key in the Lower Keys Tuesday afternoon, but details of that interdiction were not immediately available, said Petty Officer 3rd Class Ryan Estrada.
The agency also said it stopped an overloaded sailboat on Monday that was packed with 63 people from Haiti about 75 miles southeast of Key Largo.
The Coast Guard said Tuesday that it returned 78 people to Haiti who were stopped on an overloaded boat off the country’s Isle de Tortue on Friday.
This story was originally published May 3, 2022 at 4:29 PM.
