The arrival of Cuban rafters that touched the coasts of southern Florida amounted to 28,057 in the first eight months of this fiscal year (FY2023), a worrying sign for US authorities heading into the summer.
Figures revealed by the Department of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) indicate that only Last May, 5,532 Cubans arrived irregularly through the Miami sector, a number very similar to the 5,928 who entered through the same territory the previous month.
The signs of the unstoppable immigration from Cuba by sea have created an alert from immigration control agencies, considering that the summer period is traditionally very active in illegal trips in the Straits of Florida, both in rustic boats and in human trafficking operations.
Although the flow of Cubans across the Mexican border has remained at relatively low levels since last January, when the humanitarian parole program With greater restrictions on irregular entries, the statistics of rafter arrivals have escalated uncontrollably.
If the entries from the Tampa sector are added, the figure rises to 30,199.
“The number of rafters who continue to enter United States territory is impressive, which shows that The Cuban migration crisis has not been resolved through humanitarian parole, the alternative to request asylum with the application CBP One or the increase in visas delivered at the embassy in Havana,” said the immigration lawyer Willy Allen. “This is a deep crisis because It is the crisis of Cuban desperation”.
Allen observed that the increase in maritime entries through southern Florida is a symptom of the impatience of Cubans with the general deterioration of their country.
“There are legal avenues to emigrate, but people do not want to wait for the process, which is overwhelmed between the volume of applications and the limitation of the immigration system to resolve the accumulated delays,” added the lawyer.
A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official told CyberCuba that border control authorities are aware of the increase in maritime operations in the Florida Straits and are “making efforts to prevent them.”
“People who risk their lives at sea must also know that opportunities to access immigration benefits are being closed,” the official said. “People who arrive will be expelled and will be prevented from entering the country in the next five years, with penalties for repeat offenders.”
The DHS/CBP figures are the first issued after the suspension of the Title 42 health order, which implemented a more dynamic strategy for expedited deportations at the border since last May 12.
However, May saw the entry of 2,794 Cubans across the Mexican border, an increase of 53% compared to the previous month.
US authorities have warned that deportations of Cubans will continue for people who do not have a legal basis to remain in the country. The recent Supreme Court ruling that will allow the Joe Biden administration Establishing priorities to deport undocumented immigrants does not apply to people who continue to arrive in the country by land and sea.
“As we continue to execute our plans, including toughening consequences for those who cross illegally, while expanding access to legal pathways and processes, we will continue to monitor changes in arrival trends and adjust our response accordingly. necessary," CBP said in its monthly report.
To the group of Cubans who managed to enter through the coasts of Florida, are added 6,800 intercepted at sea during FY2023, the highest rate since the rafters crisis of 1994.
Other updated data on the statistics of irregular Cuban immigration to the United States from the CBP report at the end of May reveal that:
- At all border points – land or sea – The number of Cuban arrivals rose to 9,465, with 457 more people than last April.
- Since last October 1, when FY2023 began, 153,576 immigrants Cubans have arrived in the United States, 119,143 of them across the border with Mexico.
- 410,246 They have entered the country after Biden's arrival at the White House.
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