ISLA MORADA, Fla. – A group of 14 Cuban migrants arrived on Wednesday at the Florida Keys in a wooden boat, according to the U.S. Border Patrol agents.
Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar announced the group of 12 men and two women made landfall near Islamorada and they were in the custody of U.S. Border Patrol agents, who have been dealing with a surge in migration from Cuba.
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U.S. Coast Guard crews at sea have intercepted 5,545 Cuban migrants during their voyage to Florida since Oct. 1, according to the USCG report on Sept. 13. That is nearly 53% more than all of the Cuban migrants the USCG intercepted during the last five fiscal years.
According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s public database, agents have encountered nearly 177,850 Cuban migrants since Oct. 1, in the U.S., including about 1,735 in Florida and 100,190 in Texas. The number of USBP encounters so far this year is more than triple those reported in the last two years.
This is a developing story.
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