October 6, 2014

Number of Cuban Immigrants Trying to Enter U.S Illegally Increases by 75 Percent in 2014

Published at 7:53 pm EST, October 6, 2014



The number of undocumented Cuban migrants trying to reach U.S. territory by sea increased 75 percent during the 2014 fiscal year, the Coast Guard said.

The total climbed from 2,129 in fiscal 2013 to 3,722 Cubans in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30., Capt. Marcos Fedor of the Coast Guard’s 7th District, said in a statement.

The figures include people intercepted at sea as well as those who succeeded in reaching shore, a Coast Guard spokesman told Efe.

Under the policy known as “wet foot, dry foot,” Cubans who are able to set foot on U.S. territory may remain and apply for legal residence, while those stopped at sea are returned to the island.

The 7th District’s area of operations coves Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Puerto Rico as well as 34 foreign territories.

During fiscal 2014 the District recorded a total of 9,081 undocumented migrants, a 42 percent increase over the previous year.

The largest group, 5,478, were Haitians, whose numbers increased by 25 percent from fiscal 2013.

“We know of those we rescue and those who may make it to land, but we don’t know how many hundreds of people may perish attempting this dangerous journey,” Fedor said. “The Coast Guard is a military service and a law enforcement agency, but we also have a humanitarian role; we are committed to protecting the safety of life at sea.”

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