The United States Border Patrol reported this Tuesday that the 11 Cuban migrants who landed in Key West in mid-August are being processed for deportation, and also revealed that the vessel they arrived on had been stolen.
The head of the Border Patrol, Rosario "Pete" Vásquez, provided new details on his official account on X, weeks after the group landed at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park.
"Once Cuban nationals arrived on land in a stolen boat from the Keys, marking an illegal landing not seen in years. All individuals were apprehended and are being processed for deportation," Vásquez wrote.
The announcement provides new details about the landing reported in mid-August at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park in Key West.
On August 14th, it was reported that all occupants of the vessel were detained and handed over to the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) office, as confirmed by the Key West Police.
The images now released by the Border Patrol correspond to the vessel reported at that time, a wooden boat with a green hull and a tarp canopy.
Vásquez used the case to issue a warning about the consequences of illegally entering the United States.
"The era of 'wet foot, dry foot' is over. The border is closed to all illegal entry," he asserted.
The policy known as "wet foot, dry foot," which for years provided differentiated immigration treatment to Cubans who managed to reach U.S. territory, was eliminated in January 2017 by the administration of Barack Obama.
Since then, reaching U.S. territory does not guarantee that Cuban migrants can remain in the country, and those who enter irregularly may be subject to deportation processes.
The warning from the Border Patrol comes amid an increase in the deportations of Cubans. On August 21, 127 citizens were sent back to the island from the United States.
According to released figures, 793 Cubans have been deported from the United States so far in 2026, while 1,292 have returned to the island in the current fiscal year, which began on October 1, 2025, and will end on September 30, 2026.
Additionally, more than 4,000 Cubans received deportation orders in immigration courts in Florida between October 2025 and June of this year.
Vásquez, who took over as Chief of the Border Patrol on June 1, 2026, with more than 26 years of service in the agency, oversees nearly 20,000 agents deployed across the country. His appointment occurred under the administration of President Donald Trump, with Markwayne Mullin serving as Secretary of Homeland Security and Rodney S. Scott leading the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office.
Este caso forma parte de un panorama migratorio en constante cambio. Sigue todos los detalles sobre deportaciones, operativos fronterizos y políticas migratorias en nuestra sección de
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