Cuban immigration worries experts in South Florida

Cuban immigration worries experts in South Florida

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MIAMI – The US Coast Guard has issued more reports on migrants who are risking their lives in the Florida Strait to reach the United States.

More recently, the law enforcement service reported that 16 migrants disappeared at sea after the tragic end of their voyages on two abandoned ships.

The Coast Guard also reported the rescue of eight Cubans who were on a makeshift wooden sailboat on February 8 and seven Cubans who were on a small wooden boat on January 12.

“As the economic situation in Cuba worsens, we can see an illegal attempt by more Cubans to reach the United States,” said Andy Gomez, professor emeritus of Cuban studies at the University of Miami.

The U.S. Coast Guard continues to rescue migrants who are risking their lives in the Florida Strait to reach the United States.
The U.S. Coast Guard continues to rescue migrants who are risking their lives in the Florida Strait to reach the United States. (Courtesy of the US Coast Guard)

The Coast Guard also rescued three Cubans after a pilot spotted them on February 9 stopped at an uninhabited island in the Bahamas, where they survived for 33 days.

It is not clear whether they were on a trip to the USA when their ship failed. They were in the custody of the United States Department of Immigration and Customs at the Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach.

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Earlier this month, the United States Coast Guard rescued three Cubans who said they had survived 33 days on an uninhabited island in the Bahamas.
Earlier this month, the United States Coast Guard rescued three Cubans who said they had survived 33 days on an uninhabited island in the Bahamas.

Lawyer Wilfredo O. Allen, who focuses on immigration, said many Cuban migrants are in limbo. He said that every day a Cuban comes into his office asking for help.

“I have already received Cubans who came by plane with a visa and are staying,” said Allen. “I received Cubans with a Spanish passport and they are staying. I had Cubans who crossed the border into Mexico and are staying ”.

Amid the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in Cuba, experts in South Florida are concerned that there is an ongoing crisis that could evolve into a Cuban exodus reminiscent of Mariel’s ship in the 1980s and the beam crisis of 1994.

In 2017, former President Barack Obama put an end to the “wet feet, dry feet” policy, a 1995 interpretation of the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966. Former President Donald Trump continued to target asylum seekers and detain them for months.

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Trump also banned U.S. cruise ships from taking tourists to Cuba and made it difficult for Cubans in South Florida to send money to relatives on the island. President Joe Biden has yet to announce his changes in Trump’s policy towards Cuba.

FILE VIDEO

January 21: Experts discuss Biden’s policy on Cuba

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