A large cargo vessel spotted a tiny makeshift raft floating in the Gulf of Mexico with eight Cuban migrants on board. The ship’s crew made the discovery approximately 400 miles at sea from Mobile, Alabama.
A U.S. Coast Guard cutter responded to the vessel near Boothville, Louisiana, and took custody of the migrants. The eight Cuban migrants were found on February 9 on a small makeshift raft constructed mostly from Styrofoam pieces, according to a statement from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Officials say the migrants wore no appropriate life vests while making the potentially deadly journey. It is not clear if the migrants missed the Florida Keys where thousands of Cuban migrants have been traveling over the past few months.
“Lawful pathways exist for Cubans to request advance authorization to travel to the U.S. that doesn’t include such grave life-threatening risks,” said New Orleans CBP Director of Field Operations Steve Stavinoha in a written statement. “Any migrant intent on choosing unlawful pathways to enter the country will face clear consequences.”
The Coast Guard cutter crew transported the eight Cubans to Venice, Louisiana, and turned them over to CBP officers. The CBP officers took them to New Orleans for processing.
Officials reportedly reviewed the migrants’ cases and then transported them to the Hancock Detention Facility in Gulfport, Mississippi. The migrants are being held pending removal to Cuba.
A direct journey from the closest point in Cuba to Mobile is approximately 630 miles. CBP officials did not disclose how long the migrants had been at sea before being discovered by the cargo vessel made the discovery.
These are the first Cuban migrants processed by New Orleans CBP officials since April 2022.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s What’s Your Point? Sunday-morning talk show. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.