A group of 23 Cubans, three of whom are minors, were detained by the Border Patrol after landing in the Florida Keys, according to reports on social media.
"Early this morning, U.S. Border Patrol agents along with associated agencies responded to the landing of migrants in the Florida Keys and found 21 Cuban migrants (18 adults, 3 minors) who arrived on a wooden fishing boat," wrote Andrew Scharnweber from the Miami Sector of U.S. Border Patrol on X.
Scharnweber did not specify which cay the Cubans were detained in, but he did share a photo that allowed us to see that the vessel was a white and blue fishing boat, which on the stern has "Habana" and "Cojímar" written in large letters, alongside a drawing of the Giraldilla.
The vessel resembles the Argos boat quite a bit, which has already arrived in Florida waters in the past.
The avalanche of Cubans heading to the United States, whether by sea or land, shows no signs of coming to an end.
However, the U.S. government continues to insist that all individuals who attempt to enter the country illegally by sea will not be allowed to remain and will be processed according to U.S. laws and policies and returned to their country of origin or departure.
In the case of migrants arriving by sea and being detained by the Border Patrol after touching U.S. soil, they are processed for return to their home country by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), with a five-year prohibition against legally re-entering that country.
Despite the authorities' attempts to dissuade Cuban rafters, illegal migration by sea remains an option for those who desperately want to leave the country and have no other way to do so.
At the beginning of July, the U.S. Coast Guard explained how they search for raft boats in the waters of the Florida Straits.
The program La Voz de América boarded one of the surveillance planes of the USCG and showed how the waters between Cuba and southern Florida are patrolled daily in search of immigrants trying to enter the United States irregularly.
The coast guard explained in the report that they are trying to locate unsafe vessels loaded with migrants attempting to reach the country's shores through an extremely dangerous sea, as the Strait is 150 km wide at its narrowest point and 1,800 meters deep.
They explained that they are looking for a unique profile that stands out from a cruise or a recreational vessel, something that looks like a very rustic boat. The technicians also monitor the vessels on specialized radars and night infrared sensors.
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