Cuban migrant interdictions approaching 1,000 mark

    Cuban migrant interdictions in the Florida Straits so far this year is approaching the 1,000 mark.

   According to the latest interdiction figures posted by the U.S. Coast Guard on its website, http://www.d7publicaffairs.com/, at least 909 Cuban migrants have been stopped at sea between Jan. 1 and Tuesday. Only last month interdictions stood at slightly more than 700.

   The number of Cuban migrants leaving the island without papers for the United States has increased steadily since Fidel Castro took ill in July 2006.

   Last year, for example, at least 3,197 Cuban migrants were stopped at sea – the largest number of Cuban migrants interdicted in a single year since the 1994 rafter exodus when 37,191 Cuban migrants were spotted in the Florida Straits.

   At the current pace, interdictions this year could match or exceed the number of interdictions last year.

   Under the wet-foot/dry-foot policy, undocumented Cuban migrants who make it ashore are allowed to stay and those stopped at sea are generally returned to Cuba.

   This week, the Coast Guard repatriated at least 42 Cuban migrants, according to a press statement issued Wednesday.

-- Alfonso Chardy

Comments

[Brian Cousins]

Wet foot-Dry foot policy. Of course, if the US adopted a similar policy for all of latin america, then many thousands more would seek to make such voyages to the anticipated land of riches and opportunity - albeit often not realized. Why do Americans not realize this policy is only intended to destabilize life in Cuba. It is not designed to assist Cubans - who, with the exception of occasional American-paid counter revoluntionaries (sometimes actual "terrorists"; to use your president's favorite word), are not in fact welcome to immigrate to the US. The revolution happened 50 years ago. The Cuban people have chosen an independent course and do not wish to be another Puerto Rico for the US. It is time for Americans to get over the humiliation of having their exploitive latin american policies resisted in Cuba. The rest of the world awaits a more progressive day for US policies vis a vis Cuba.

[R. Loma]

ITS TIME FOR THE U.S. TO STAND UP AND PUT A HALT TO THE WET FOOT DRY FOOT POLICY. THE CUBAN PEOPLE WHO ARE HERE LEFT THEIR COUNTRY FOR A NEW LIFE. BECAUSE CUBA IS LOCATED 90 MILES FROM THE U.S. SHORE SHOULD NOT CHANGE IMMIGRATION POLICY. THE CURRENT POLICY ONLY PROMOTES ILLEGAL SMUGGLING ACTIVITIES AND PUTS LIVES IN DANGER.