Border agents arrest dozens of migrants who landed in America in makeshift barrel rafts
Border agents have caught at least 30 Cuban migrants who landed on a Florida island in a makeshift raft.
The group were taken into custody after reaching the Marquesas Keys, uninhabited islands west of Key West, Florida.
The group arrived on the island in a raft partly constructed using barrels.
Border agencies thanked the responding agencies.
Chief patrol agent of the US Border Patrol’s Miami Sector Samuel Briggs said: “Earlier today, 30 Cuban migrants were taken into US Border Patrol custody after making landfall on the Marquesas Keys, uninhabited islands west of Key West, Florida.
“We appreciate the support from the responding agencies.”
Briggs had previously reported the capture of 11 more rafters on December 31 in Key Largo.
This group is now being processed for deportation.
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Many Cubans are still attempting to reach the US by sea, despite the risks to life.
In 2023 alone, over 5,000 Cubans were sent back home after trying to cross the border without permission.
Deportation flights for Cubans, from both Mexico and the US, have recently started again.
Up to 10,000 were detained each day in December at the Mexican border.
Mexican and US officials have agreed to work together more closely to tackle record migration at their shared border.
Talks between the two countries came after the US temporarily shuttered some border crossings to redeploy agents toward enforcement.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the two parties had agreed to keep border crossings open after the temporary closures.
Lopez Obrador said Wednesday’s meetings with the US delegation were “direct,” and he praised the Biden administration’s relationship with Mexico.