Cuban migrant vessel with 10 aboard stopped near Key Biscayne

Cuban migrant vessel with 10 aboard stopped near Key Biscayne

The 10 migrants will likely be repatriated to Cuba
The migrants were not compliant when they were stopped, according to the
Coast Guard
BY CARLI TEPROFF
cteproff@miamiherald.com

A Coast Guard helicopter first spotted the makeshift vessel about a mile
and half off Key Biscayne Thursday afternoon.

Two nearby Coast Guard boats tried to stop the boat with 10 Cuban
migrants aboard, but "it wasn't easy," Lt. Cmdr. Gabe Somma said.

"They were being noncompliant," Somma said.

Crews were finally able to take the nine men and one woman into custody
after 2 p.m. and give them life jackets, food, water and other supplies.

"Because they were interdicted at sea they will most likely be returned
to their origin country," Somma said.

There has been a surge in recent months in the number of Cuban migrants
attempting to come to the United States by sea, Somma said.

"Anything on the water is inherently more dangerous," Somma said. "And
most of the vessels are not seaworthy."

Last year, 4,473 Cubans attempted to make the journey. So far this year
5,425 have tried to get to the U.S. by water.

Also on Thursday, the Coast Guard announced that a body — believed to be
one of two missing migrants — had washed up near Gulf Stream in Palm
Beach County. The Coast Guard rescued six migrants from the water
Wednesday morning and was told that two more people were missing since
Tuesday night.

On Wednesday night, the Coast Guard announced that it had suspended a
search for the two migrants off Boca Raton after searching 1,500 square
miles.

More than 100 migrants have landed in the Keys since July 12, all of
whom were able to stay because they reached dry land.

Miami Herald staff writer Alex Harris contributed to this report.

Source: Cuban migrant vessel with 10 onboard interdicted near Key
Biscayne | In Cuba Today -
http://www.incubatoday.com/news/article91097562.html