Two cruise ships pick up Cuban migrant rafters in separate incidents between Cuba and Florida. Mail Online/AP.
Two cruise ships pick up Cuban migrant rafters in separate incidents between Cuba and Florida
Mail Online/AP
April 13, 2013
-Immigrants were picked up 45 miles from the US-mainland - half way through their journey
-Group had been at sea for almost two weeks
-No injuries reported - group are now being given food and water before being returned to Cuba
Two cruise ships have rescued migrant rafters off the Florida Keys.
U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Mark Barney said that the Disney Wonder and the Carnival Conquest both spotted "rustic vessels" in separate incidents Friday afternoon.
According to a Carnival statement, the Conquest picked up 13 Cuban nationals about 40 miles from Key West. The ship was expected to rendezvous with a Coast Guard cutter near Key West to transfer them.
At sea: Migrant rafters have been rescued by two different cruise ships sailing in the Straits of Florida between Cuba and Key West
So near, yet so far: 21 Cuban nationals were picked up in total. it's likely they'll be returned to their home country
According to a passenger on the ship, the Cuban's had been adrift for six days before they were picked up.
A Disney statement says the Wonder picked up eight people about 45 miles from Key West, but their nationality wasn't immediately known. The company was working with the Coast Guard to determine its next steps.
Adrift: A group of Cuban migrants were found drifting halfway between Cuba and Florida. They were picked up by a Carnival and a Disney cruise ship in two separate incidents
Florida Straits: The Cuban migrants were exactly half way through the journey situated exactly 45 miles from Key West and Havana in either direction
It wasn't immediately known what would be done with the migrants, but Barney said undocumented, non-U.S. citizens heading toward American waters are usually repatriated to their home countries.
Generally, Cubans intercepted trying to make the 90 mile (140km) crossing from Cuba to Florida are sent home to the Communist-ruled island, while those who make it to US soil are usually allowed to stay.
Choppy choice: Thousands attempt to make the cross each year across the choppy ocean. Not everyone makes it. Some are killed and many are picked up by the coastguard and cruise ships
The Cuban migrants that were found this time are just a fraction of the hundreds of Cubans who cross the Florida Straits every year, often ferried over in smugglers' vessels.
Intercepting the migrants at sea means they can be quickly returned to their countries of origin without the costly processes required if they successfully enter the United States.
When successful, illegal immigration can potentially cost U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars each year in social services.
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