A vessel with approximately 10 or 11 Cuban migrants on board made landfall early Thursday morning at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park, located in the southwest tip of Key West, Florida.
The news was first shared on social media by the content creator known as DatGuy in Paradise.
The source also shared a video showing a wooden boat with a green hull and a canvas canopy, stranded on the beach sand.
Subsequently, the Key West Police Department confirmed on its social media that the vessel arrived on shore around 9:00 AM (local time).
The police in Key West coordinated the response with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the United States Coast Guard.
According to the official statement from the KWPD, the agents worked together to "secure the vessel and ensure the safety of everyone involved."
All occupants were detained and handed over to the Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The department emphasized that it "continues to work closely with its federal and state partners to respond to maritime landings of migrants within the city's limits and along the surrounding coast."
As of the time this note was written, it has not been officially confirmed that the detained migrants are Cuban, although the content creator who initially reported on the arrival mentioned that it was a Cuban vessel.
Fort Zachary Taylor, located just 90 nautical miles from Cuba, is one of the most frequent landing points in the history of migration from the island to Florida.
A context of declining arrivals
The landing comes at a time when maritime arrivals to the Florida Keys have significantly decreased.
According to El Nuevo Herald, before the Trump administration intensified its immigration control policies, these incidents occurred weekly and, at times, daily in the archipelago.
The legal tightening also complicates the future of those who manage to reach land.
Immigration lawyer Willy Allen has explained that Cuban rafters can no longer automatically benefit from the Cuban Adjustment Act, as without a parole—a crucial requirement for that immigration benefit—their chances of deportation are significantly higher.
The figures illustrate the scale of the change: arrests of Cuban migrants by ICE increased by 463% between late 2024 and early 2026, and during the first half of this year, 740 Cuban citizens were deported in 25 operations.
The warnings from the authorities
Despite the risk, maritime migration has not completely ceased.
The chief of the Miami Sector of the Border Patrol, Jeffrey J. Dinise, issued a direct warning at the end of June to those considering crossing the Florida Straits in precarious vessels: "Freedom is not worth it if you are not alive to enjoy it."
The official also noted that "many migrants attempt to navigate in dangerous maritime conditions on homemade or inadequate vessels. The fortunate ones are rescued. Don't go out to sea."
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