A recent spike in Cubans attempting to reach the US by sea has generated headlines, but the numbers of Haitians and other Caribbean islanders making similar journeys are up even more and while federal law grants legal residency to Cubans reaching US soil, anyone else can be detained and deported.
That law, the so-called wet foot-dry foot policy, and US Coast Guard operations related to migrants have remained unchanged, even as Cuban and US leaders say they are restoring diplomatic relations after more than 50 years.
“The coast guard strongly discourages attempts to illegally enter the country by taking to the sea. These trips are extremely dangerous. Individuals located at sea may be returned to Cuba,” said Lieutenant Commander Gabe Somma, spokesman for the US Coast Guard’s 7th District in Miami.
In the fiscal year that ended on Sept. 30 last year, US authorities captured, intercepted or chased away at least 5,585 Haitians, 3,940 Cubans and hundreds from the Dominican Republic and other Caribbean countries attempting to sneak into the country, the coast guard said.
That is at least 3,000 more migrants intercepted than in the previous fiscal year. It is also the highest number of Haitian migrants documented in five years and the highest number of Cubans recorded in six.
It is unknown how many made it to US shores without getting caught, or how many died trying.
More than 1,920 migrants — most of them Cuban or Haitian — have been intercepted so far in the fiscal year that began on Oct. 1 last year. The US Coast Guard worries that number will only increase as news spreads about recent changes to the US immigration system, including fast-tracking visas for some Haitians already approved to join family, as well as an executive order signed by US President Barack Obama that would make millions already illegally in the US eligible for work permits and protection from deportation.
“Any perceived changes to US immigration policy can cause a spike in immigration because it gives a glimmer of hope,” even to people not eligible under those changes, said Captain Mark Fedor, chief of response for Miami’s 7th District.
It is unclear why the numbers are jumping. Poverty and political repression have long caused Caribbean islanders to attempt the journey, and the outlook remains dismal for many. Coast guard and immigration officials think another calm summer without many tropical storms and a recovering US economy might have encouraged more to take to the sea. They also say the increased captures may reflect better law enforcement.
Smuggling operations in the region range from individual opportunists looking to use their vessels for extra money to sophisticated networks that may add drug shipments to their human cargo, said Carmen Pino, an official with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Miami.
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