Seven Cubans, between the ages of 24 and 40, were found in a park on the seashore in Coral Gables (Miami-Dade) and the police are now investigating if they were brought into the country by human traffickers, local media reported this Tuesday.
The Cubans said they were from Havana and had sailed seven days on a boat built by them before arriving at Matheson Hammock Park, located in one of the most exclusive residential areas of Miami-Dade County.
Cuban Migrants Detained After Coming Ashore in Coral Gables https://t.co/XmSXKqcl4S
— NBC 6 South Florida (@nbc6) December 7, 2021
Police gave them blankets, hot drinks and food before Customs and Border (CBP) officers took charge of them.
If the so-called “wet foot, dry foot” law had not been repealed during the presidency of Barack Obama (2009-2017), the Cubans would have automatically obtained the right to initiate the procedures to stay in the country, since they were discovered on land.
According to local media, the authorities suspect that there was a human trafficking operation involved in this case and that the Cubans could have been left on a sandbar near the coast by the traffickers. An immigration lawyer told NBC 6 that the seven Cubans can apply for political asylum.
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In the last two months, 293 Cubans were intercepted at sea by the U.S. Coast Guard. The monthly average of interceptions is currently double that of the previous year, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
In the entire fiscal year, which ended on September 30, 838 Cubans were intercepted, according to that source.
