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Coast Guard returns 91
Cubans to their homeland
Sun-sentinel.com.
January 15, 2007.
MIAMI - A Coast Guard cutter returned 91
Cuban migrants caught at sea to their homeland
at Bahia de Cabanas around 2 p.m. on Monday.
In a prepared release, the Coast Guard
said the Cubans were picked up:
- On Jan. 5. Nine Cuban migrants were picked
up approximately three miles south of the
Marquesas islands off Key West. At the request
of the U.S. Citizen and Immigration Service,
one of the migrants was taken to Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba, for further disposition.
- Also Jan. 5. A civilian boat located
a "rustic" vessel -- -- usually
a raft or homemade boat -- with 17 migrants
on board as it was taking on water 85 miles
southwest of Grand Cayman, Bahamas. The
boater contacted the Coast Guard and brought
all migrants on board. They were later transfered
to the cutter Decisive.
- On Jan. 6. The cutter Tornado spotted
another "rustic" vessel 55 miles
south of the Dry Tortugas with 15 Cubans
on board.
- On Jan. 7. The Coast Guard cutter Sawfish
intercepted a go-fast boat 15 miles southeast
of Islamorada. Once a boarding team from
the Sawfish boarded the go-fast, they found
29 migrants.
- Also Jan. 7. The crew of the cutter
Tornado located an inflatable raft with
seven migrants on board approximately 12
miles southwest of the Marquesas. Three
of the migrants had serious self-inflicted
wounds and were transported to Lower Keys
Memorial Hospital in Key West for further
treatment.
- On Jan. 8. The crew of an HC-130 aircraft
located a "rustic" vessel with
10 migrants on board about 18 miles south
of Key West. The cutter Dauntless was dispatched
to pickup the migrants.
- Also on Jan. 8. A boater located a "rustic"
vessel with eight migrants tied to a crab
pod 18 miles northeast of the Dry Tortugas.
A Coast Guard cutter Marlin was diverted
to pick up the migrants.
"Throughout 2007, we will continue
to maintain our robust presence in the Florida
Straits and Caribbean with our assets as
needed," Cmdr. Howard White, assistant
chief of law enforcement for the Seventh
Coast Guard District, said in a prepared
release.
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