At least two groups of Cuban rafters recently arrived in two different Mexican states, where they managed to blend in with the local population without being detected by authorities, according to reports from the Mexican press.
In one such instance, a total of nine rafters arrived between the night of last Friday and the early morning of Saturday in the port city of Progreso, located in the state of Yucatán.
A rustic boat, made of aluminum sheets and wood, measuring about three meters long and 1.5 meters wide, appeared on the beach of the Nueva Yucalpetén colony.
After going viral on social media, several sailors admitted that just days earlier, they had spotted a similar vessel.
One of the most detailed testimonies mentioned that a fishing boat, about a hundred miles from Progreso, encountered a vessel carrying nine individuals of Cuban origin.
Upon arriving in Progreso, according to local witnesses, the group of people disembarked from the raft and ventured into the streets of the port, quickly disappearing from sight.
The port authorities have been notified, and the National Institute of Migration (INM) has launched an operation to locate the alleged rafters, whose whereabouts remain unknown.
In another similar incident, an empty raft was found on a beach in Isla Mujeres, located in the state of Quintana Roo.
In that case, the vessel, named "Esperanza" and painted green and red, contained empty gasoline cans, water containers, food, diapers, wet clothes, Cuban money, and other belongings, according to a report from TV Azteca.
In August of last year, a group of 31 Cuban rafters, including a minor, was intercepted in the waters of Quintana Roo while attempting to reach Mexico in a makeshift boat.
The migrants—a group of nine women, 21 men, and one minor—were aboard a small vessel with an inboard motor that was left adrift approximately 222 kilometers north of Isla Mujeres. Fortunately, all were in good health.
Also that month, Mexican authorities reported the discovery of an abandoned raft of Cuban migrants on the coast. It appeared to belong to migrants who managed to evade authorities.
Last month, in Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo, another 25 Cuban rafters were arrested after landing near the Villa Kin hotel.
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