(CMR) As Cubans continue to leave their country on dangerous journeys in very fragile and often small vessels, a group of three men shocked many last week when they traveled from Cuba on a pedal boat.
The boat, a type often used at resorts on man-made lakes, was painted to look like a car, and made the journey to 69 miles south of Key West, Florida.
Petty Officer Nicole Groll, a Coast Guard spokeswoman, told Miami Herald Thursday that the boat serves as an example of why the agency has been urging migrants not to take to the sea.
“Families and friends, please encourage loved ones to seek a safe and legal path to the United States. Migrating illegally in vessels without life jackets or safety equipment raises the risk of losing your life at sea,” Groll said.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection airplane crew spotted the yellow boat last Saturday about 69 miles south of Key West, according to the Coast Guard. The men aboard were among 77 Cuban migrants taken back to their country Wednesday aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Raymond Evans.
According to the Miamia Herald, the Cubans often take the journey in boats that are nothing more than Styrofoam stuffed into chicken wire shaped to make the hull of a boat. They’re often powered by nothing more than 4-stroke lawn mower engines or propelled by sails made from bed sheets.
The Miami Herald also reported that since October, the Coast Guard has intercepted 3,369 people from Cuba at sea attempting to migrate to the United States, the highest number in seven years. There has also been a large number of people migrating from Haiti, the highest in decades, as they flee from escalating gang violence.
- Fascinated
- Happy
- Sad
- Angry
- Bored
- Afraid