Two Cuban citizens who had been denied asylum were detained by the U.S. Coast Guard during a routine security inspection of a recreational vessel in the Florida Keys.
The operation took place on Tuesday, October 13, when a crew from the Islamorada Coast Guard Station inspected a Bayliner boat equipped with a Yamaha engine and discovered that its two Cuban occupants did not have legal authorization to remain in the country, according to authorities.
The Coast Guard of the Southeast District reported on its official X account that both citizens had previously received a negative response to their asylum requests.
“A crew from the USCG Islamorada vessel identified two Cuban citizens who had been denied asylum and are not legally authorized to remain in the U.S. during a security inspection of a boat on Tuesday. Both were transferred to Border Patrol for processing,” the agency noted.
Unlike the usual interceptions of migrants in the Florida Straits, this procedure occurred during a routine security inspection of a recreational vessel.
The images released by the authorities show Coast Guard and Border Patrol agents during the arrest of one of the Cuban citizens, who appears handcuffed in a coastal area of Florida.
So far, the authorities have not revealed their identities, how long they had been in the United States, or whether they had final deportation orders. They have also not clarified whether they will be transferred to an immigration detention center or if they could be deported to Cuba.
New arrests of Cubans in Florida
The incident adds to other recent immigration operations in the Florida Keys, although under different circumstances.
On October 13, the U.S. Coast Guard repatriated six people to Cuba after two maritime interventions carried out on the 8th and 11th of that month.
In the first operation, three Cubans traveling in an improvised boat near Cay Sal, Bahamas, were intercepted. One of them had to be evacuated to receive specialized medical attention.
The second intervention allowed for the rescue of four individuals who remained aboard a damaged Cuban fishing vessel about 46 miles southeast of Key West. In total, seven people were assisted or intercepted, but only six were repatriated.
In August, 11 Cuban migrants landed in Key West aboard a stolen boat.
In September, the Border Patrol confirmed that the 11 citizens had been detained and were being processed for their deportation.
La situación migratoria de los cubanos en EE.UU. sigue generando noticias cada día. Mantente al tanto de todos los desarrollos en nuestra sección de
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