U.S. Border Patrol agents responded to a landing of migrants near Key West International Airport in Florida.
The event was captured in a video shared by WPLG Local 10 News, which shows the arrival of a large group of migrants (around twenty) who dock a wooden boat at the pier near Key West International Airport.
According to the cited source, around 3 p.m., authorities found 20 Cuban migrants who arrived on a wooden fishing boat. The video was recorded by an eyewitness, capturing the mixture of relief and hope among the group after their perilous journey.
However, these migrants were apprehended and are subject to deportation proceedings, as reported by Adam Hoffner, Chief Patrol Agent of the Miami Sector of the Border Patrol.
This incident adds to a series of recent arrivals of Cuban raftsmen on the shores of Florida.
On January 14, nine Cuban migrants were detained after arriving in Key West on an improvised vessel. Additionally, on January 10, 24 Cuban balseros were intercepted near the same area.
The dangerous maritime journey from Cuba to the United States has claimed numerous lives. In 2024, at least 142 Cuban rafters died trying to reach Miami, according to a report from the Missing Migrants Program of the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Despite the risks, many Cubans continue to undertake this dangerous journey in search of better living conditions, driven by the economic and social crisis on the island.
U.S. authorities maintain a strict policy regarding irregular migration, conducting deportation procedures for those who are apprehended after arriving without legal documentation.
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