The United States Coast Guard (USCG) explained how they search for rafts in the waters of the Straits of Florida.
The program Voice of America boarded one of the surveillance planes of the USCG and showed how the waters between Cuba and South Florida are patrolled daily in search of immigrants attempting to irregularly enter the United States.
The coastguards explained in the report that they are looking for unsafe boats loaded with migrants attempting to reach the country's shores through an extremely dangerous sea, as the Strait has a width of 150 km and a depth of 1800 meters at its narrowest point.
"We believe they are in small boats in a dangerous sea, and we need to make sure they are safe," said Lieutenant E.J. Cunningham.
He explained that they are looking for a unique profile that stands out from a cruise ship or a recreational vessel, something that resembles a very rustic boat.
The technicians see the vessel on specialized radars and nighttime infrared sensors, they explained.
Blaine Willis, an electrical technician from the USCG, shared that patrolling leads to many anecdotes: "We had a vessel that was nothing more than a bunch of wooden planks tied together with ropes and a few barrels. On another occasion, we found outside Cuban territorial waters a raft for two people that had a brush cutter at the back, which the man was holding as an engine," commented an agent.
Additionally, Robert Depe, a maintenance technician, stated, "Sometimes passengers give themselves away. They try to avoid us, they try to cover themselves with a tarp, they crouch down and try to hide. Other times, they are just there; sometimes they point at us and try to show us: 'Hey, we're here, you can see us'".
Then the plane guides the Coast Guard to the exact location, and the boat takes the people on board. Each migrant receives a blanket," emphasizes the USCG.
Lieutenant Samuel Krakower, Commander of the Raymond Evans, said that "one night the deck of the coast guard ship housed more than a hundred Cubans who remained there for several days to be processed. The majority were returned to Cuba. It was an exhausting night but several of those boats were in danger of sinking, and it was an opportunity to rescue them," he said.
In the report, the USCG indicated that they also patrol the Florida Straits in search of Haitian vessels, which carry more people.
"They can come loaded with more than 94, much more than the 20 or 30 people that can be seen on a Cuban raft," Krakower stated.
According to the report, last fiscal year 1,800 Haitians and more than 6,600 Cubans were returned to their countries.
The Cuban migration crisis continues unstoppable. On June 25, seven rafters detained on the Florida coast were repatriated, and on July 1, a group of 15 Cubans were detained after disembarking in Key West.
However, the number of encounters is significantly lower than in 2022, when the USCG reported that they could come across up to four vessels on a 5-hour flight.
The Newsy journalist Ben Schamisso accompanied two pilots from the agency on a routine flight and was able to verify that reality, which showed the economic, social, and political crisis of two neighboring countries: Cuba and Haiti.
What do you think?
COMMENTFiled under:
