In yet another repatriation, the crew of the US Coast Guard Cutter Kathleen Moore transported 43 Cuban migrants to Bahia de Cabañas, Cuba, on Wednesday.
These operations are a result of three separate interdictions at sea in the south Florida Straits.
The Coast Guard Cutter Kathleen Moore, along with numerous other Coast Guard patrol boats and aircraft, aggressively patrol the Florida Straits to detect and deter illegal and unsafe maritime migration. Safety of life at sea is always the Coast Guard’s top priority.
“U.S. immigration policies have not changed and we urge people not to take to the ocean in unseaworthy vessels. It is illegal and extremely dangerous,” said Capt. Mark Fedor, the chief of response for the Coast Guard’s 7th District. “When migrants are interdicted at sea, they will be returned to their country of origin.” Once aboard a Coast Guard cutter, all migrants receive food, water, shelter and basic medical attention.
In fiscal year 2015, 4,462 Cuban migrants attempted to illegally migrate to the U.S. via the sea. These numbers represent the total amount of at-sea interdictions, landings and disruptions in the Florida Straits, the Caribbean and Atlantic.
For more information on how to legally immigrate to the U.S., call U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at 1-800-375-5283 or visit the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov.
Image: USCG