Thread: Smugglers aim for Gulf coast, authorities say

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs. ... /612190334

Dec 19, 2006

Smugglers aim for Gulf coast, authorities say
Gulf coast grows popular with human smugglers

By TODD RUGER



todd.ruger@heraldtribune.com

LONGBOAT KEY -- The arrival of two dozen Cuban refugees on Monday marks the first known time a Cuban refugee boat has landed so far north on Florida's Gulf coast.

The incident shows that a federal crackdown in the waters near Miami is forcing human smugglers to find new landing spots, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents say.

In particular, Collier and Lee counties have recently become a hot spot for smuggling rings and refugee boats, a trend that means longer trips and more danger for people fleeing Cuba.

The increased law enforcement presence "seems to be working to the point it's forcing these smugglers to land in places they have historically not gone," customs and border protection spokesman Zachary Mann said. "It's a negative in that the longer people are at sea on overloaded boats, the more dangerous it becomes."

The Cubans who landed here reported they were not fed or given water during the three-day trip.

Steve McDonald, the agent in charge of the Border Patrol station in Tampa, said his agency has also been cracking down on smuggling rings in Southwest Florida.

"They plan and direct these smuggling operations from U.S. soil," McDonald said. "The boat drivers are smugglers first, boat drivers second. Certainly, they have no regard for the safety of the people."

But an intentional landing on Longboat Key still does not make sense to Ramon Carrion, an immigration attorney with offices in Clearwater and Sarasota. He guessed that the smugglers got lost or changed their plans for some reason. Landing farther south would have made more sense, he said.

"I can't imagine why this would be a better place than Englewood Beach or Gasparilla Island," Carrion said. "I was scratching my head trying to figure out, 'Why here? Why would anyone take the chance of motoring up the coast?'"

The Coast Guard and the Border Patrol Division fly over the water and patrol with high-speed boats, looking for smugglers.

If they intercept the boats before the Cubans make it ashore, the Cubans are sent back to where they started. If they can make it to land, however, the Cubans are allowed to stay because they get special protections under the law, Carrion said.

Illegal immigrants from other countries immediately face deportation, he said. To get political asylum, they have to prove they have a credible fear of persecution if they should return home.

Cubans simply have to prove they are Cuban to stay in the country and apply to work.

"If you're of Cuban descent, generally speaking you're probably going to be released in a day or two to close relatives or family," said Mann, the Border Patrol spokesman.

Carrion said that's most likely why the 25 Cubans on Longboat Key stood by the city's welcome sign and waited for authorities.

"I'm sure they were all counseled" to have authorities document their arrival on land, Carrion said. "During this year, they have to remain out of trouble, prove good moral character, and that's it."

The United States has had a separate policy for Cuban migrants since passage of the Cuban Adjustment Act in 1966. The law allowed Cubans who had been in the U.S. for a year to apply for permanent residency.

In the mid-1990s, instability in Cuba led to a spike in the number of Cubans who fled the island to make the perilous trip to South Florida.

As a result, the U.S. and Cuban governments agreed to a handful of measures designed to limit the flow of immigrants and minimize the hazards they faced.

For example, the U.S. pledged to process a minimum of 20,000 Cuban migrants each year, and the Cuban government agreed that it would not persecute returnees who had attempted to immigrate illegally.

The Border Patrol said 3,076 Cubans made landfall in Florida in fiscal year 2006, which ended in September. That is up from 2,530 who came to Florida during fiscal year 2005, according to the spokesman.

Boat passengers pay up to $12,000 to make the trip, said Suzy Cop, director of the International Rescue Committee, one of several agencies in the Miami area that specializes in helping Cuban refugees.

"A lot of times people ask family and friends and get money," Cop said. "A lot of them have family ties here."

The last time Cubans came ashore in the area was 1995, when more than 40 either swam to shore or drifted in small boats to Manasota Key. Another 16 were picked up by the Coast Guard.

They said they came to Sarasota County from the Cayman Islands, where they had been since leaving Cuba.

Five men who were not U.S. citizens were taken into custody by federal authorities on suspicion that they helped smuggle the group.

Staff writer Matthew Doig contributed to this article.

My solution is simple. Get rid of the wet/dry foot policy. It really is no longer needed. An example would be in january a bunch of them landed on a bridge that was no longer connected to land in the keys. You may remember that bridge as it was blown up in the movie True Lies. At first the they were told that they wouldn't stay and were sent back but then the Cuban community started screaming and one man went on a hunger strike so they were allowed to come back once Cuba processed their papers. It still wasn't done so some relatives in Miami paid smugglers to bring them here in time for Christmas and they arrived on the weekend. If it is so bad then why weren't they in prison in Cuba or under survellience? When they returned they roamed freely and were able to leave again. It does not sound to be as bad human rights wise as they make you believe.

I have no idea why Cubans are still allowed to come here. I have also no idea why we taxpayers pay Congress and the Courts and others to do as We The People so desire and more times then not they do the opposite. A Private company would not long survive with such employees. Well maybe a sign of the future for America. I don't know how many of those in office who claim to be educated and intelligent can claim so with the state of our country. When so many of the solutions to these problems even a child could understand.