Coast Guard sends 143 ‘actual refugees’ back to communist Cuba as migrants pour over Southern border

As the Biden administration leaves the Southern border wide open, they are having the Coast Guard crack down on Cuban refugees arriving by boat, sending another 143 packing back to a torturous fate who are justifiably seeking asylum by fleeing a brutal communist regime.

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is making it abundantly clear that if you illegally cross the Mexican border you are good to go but if you come by boat fleeing a communist dictator in Cuba then you are booted back to suffer the consequences.

“If individuals make, establish a well-founded fear of persecution or torture, they are referred to third countries for resettlement. They will not enter the United States,” Mayorkas asserted previously.

The crews of the U.S. Coast Guard cutters Charles David Jr. and Richard Etheridge returned 143 migrants to Cuba on Tuesday, Dec. 27, following a number of interdictions off Florida’s coast.

The refugees were reported to the Coast Guard by “good Samaritans” before they could reach land. It started with the Coast Guard reporting that a boater notified Sector Key West of a migrant vessel on Wednesday, Dec. 21, at roughly 8 am, more than 20 miles south of Big Pine Key.

Thirty minutes later, Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations law enforcement aircrew alerted Sector Key West of a migrant vessel nearly 40 miles south of Key West.

Later that same morning, a Coast Guard Air Station Miami HC-144 law enforcement aircrew alerted Sector Key West of a migrant boat approximately 30 miles south of Marathon.

The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma notified Sector Key West of a migrant vessel the next morning about 25 miles south of Islamorada. On Thursday morning, Dec. 22, a good Samaritan notified Sector Key West of another boat about 11 miles south of Marathon as well.

The sightings continued around noon that day as a Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations law enforcement aircrew alerted Sector Key West watchstanders of a migrant boat approximately 15 miles south of Marquesas.

More and more refugees were spotted by good Samaritans who notified Sector Key West around 2 pm of a boat about 30 miles southeast of Islamorada, around 3 pm of a sailing vessel about 35 miles south of Lower Matecumbe Key, and around 4:30 pm of another migrant vessel about 5 miles east of Boca Raton, according to the Coast Guard.

On Friday, another good Samaritan notified Sector Key West around 8 pm of a migrant vessel about 15 miles south of Long Key.

On Christmas morning, 15 refugees from Cuba actually made it to shore in a rickety boat, commonly referred to as a “chug” in the Florida Keys. Border Patrol agents and police arrived at approximately 5 am at Key Colony Beach and took the immigrants into custody, according to Chief Border Patrol Agent Walter Slosar. The vessel had the words “Con La Bendicion De Dios,” painted on the side of it. The message translates to “With God’s Blessing” in Spanish.

Coast Guard crews and our partner agencies maintain an active presence in the Florida Straits, Windward, and Mona Passages to save lives and encourage safe, legal migration,” Lt. Connor Ives of Coast Guard District Seven stated. “Anyone attempting to illegally migrate by sea will be interdicted and returned to their country of origin.”

According to Keys News, “Since Oct. 1, 2022, Coast Guard crews have interdicted 3,839 Cuban migrants, compared to 6,182 in fiscal year 2022, 838 in 2021, 49 in 2020, 313 in 2019, 259 in 2018, 1,468 in 2017, and 5,396 Cuban migrants in fiscal year 2016.”

Once the Coast Guard gets refugees on board one of its vessels they receive food, water, shelter, and basic medical attention. They then begin the process of being repatriated back to Cuba where they will receive far less friendly treatment, possibly including torture, imprisonment, and death.

Twitter users sounded off over the obvious injustice of sending back refugees from a brutal communist regime versus allowing swarms of illegal immigrants to cross over from Mexico unfettered:

Get the latest BPR news delivered free to your inbox daily. SIGN UP HERE

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

Latest Articles