90 Cubans repatriated after Coast Guard stopped multiple vessels off Florida Keys

The United States Coast Guard repatriated 90 Cuban migrants on Saturday after five separate vessels were intercepted in the Straight of Florida last week.

In one incident on Wednesday, a group of Cubans were stranded in the water about two miles off the coast of Key West, reported Local10 News. The engine of their ship started smoking, causing the migrants to jump off of the boat. They were rescued by the Coast Guard.

This latest repatriation comes a week after the U.S. Coast Guard repatriated more than 200 Cuban migrants to the island on August 20, after intercepting more than a dozen vessels near Florida.

Since October 1, 2021, the U.S. Coast Guard has intercepted around 4,614 Cuban migrants at sea, amid what experts say is one of the largest exodus from the island since 1959.

The Coast Guard asks Cubans on the island to avoid making the treacherous journey to Florida because they are putting their lives at risk.

Many migrants attempt to make their way into the United States by making makeshift rafts. Last week, six Cuban migrants were rescued after being found on a raft made out of a piece of furniture

“They didn’t have paddles,” CNN reported. “It wasn’t really a boat. It was a piece of furniture, maybe a cabinet and they made it as a boat."