Cuban immigration concerns experts in South Florida

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MIAMI – The US Coast Guard has released more reports of migrants risking their lives in the Florida Strait to get to the United States.

Law enforcement recently reported that 16 migrants had disappeared at sea after tragically ending their journeys in two abandoned ships.

The Coast Guard also reported that he had rescued eight Cubans who were in a makeshift wooden sailboat on Feb. 8, and seven Cubans who were on a small wooden boat on Jan. 12.

“As the economic situation in Cuba deteriorates, we could see an illegal attempt by more Cubans trying to reach the United States,” said Andy Gomez, professor emeritus of Cuban studies at the University of Miami.

The US Coast Guard continues to rescue migrants who risk their lives in the Florida Strait to get to the United States.
The US Coast Guard continues to rescue migrants who risk their lives in the Florida Strait to get to the United States. (Thanks to the US Coast Guard)

The Coast Guard also rescued three Cubans after a pilot saw them stranded on a deserted Bahamian island on February 9, where they survived for 33 days.

It is unclear whether they were traveling to the US when their ship failed. They were in custody by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach.

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Earlier this month, the US Coast Guard rescued three Cubans who said they had survived for 33 days on a deserted Bahamian island.
Earlier this month, the US Coast Guard rescued three Cubans who said they had survived for 33 days on a deserted Bahamian island.

Attorney Wilfredo O. Allen, who focuses on immigration, said many Cuban migrants are in limbo. He said a Cuban comes into his office every day and asks for help.

“I let Cubans come in by plane on a visa and stay,” Allen said. “I let Cubans with a Spanish passport come in and stay. I’ve had Cubans who have crossed the border into Mexico and are staying. “

Amid the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in Cuba, experts in South Florida are concerned that there is an ongoing crisis that could turn into a Cuban exodus reminiscent of the Mariel boat lift in the 1980s and the rafter crisis of 1994.

In 2017, former President Barack Obama ended the “wet feet, dry feet” policy, a 1995 interpretation of the Cuban adjustment law of 1966. Former President Donald Trump targeted asylum seekers and detained them for months.

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Trump also banned US cruise ships from bringing tourists to Cuba, and made it difficult for Cubans in South Florida to send money to family members on the island. President Joe Biden has yet to announce his changes to Trump’s Cuba policy.

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January 21: Experts discuss Biden’s Cuba policy

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