CUBAN MIGRANTS
Exodus of Cubans slowing
For the third consecutive year, fewer Cuban migrants have left or
attempted to leave their island nation for the United States.
BY ALFONSO CHARDY AND JUAN TAMAYO
achardy@ElNuevoHerald.com
In a reverse of a years-long trend, the number of Cubans interdicted by
the Coast Guard or arriving from Mexico is down -- way down.
Figures compiled by El Nuevo Herald from the Homeland Security agencies
that track Cuban migrants show that fewer than 7,000 undocumented Cubans
were interdicted or arrived at the border during the 12-month period
that ended Sept. 30 -- a huge drop from the peak of almost 20,000 in 2007.
The principal factors for the decrease appear to be the U.S. economic
crisis, which makes it tougher for relatives to pay smugglers' fees, and
more efficient Coast Guard and Border Patrol methods.
Other possible reasons: Cuba also has reportedly stepped up its patrols
to prevent illegal departures, Mexico has toughened immigration rules
for Cubans and South Florida law enforcement agencies have cracked down
on migrant smugglers. At the same time, Cubans have found it easier to
travel to other countries, such as Ecuador and Spain.
Victor Colón, assistant chief patrol agent for the Border Patrol's Miami
sector, said the U.S. economic downturn and more effective coastal
patrolling have made it much more difficult for Cubans to reach South
Florida by sea.
``Federal and local agencies use their assets to collectively patrol
smarter,'' Colón said.
Coast Guard Capt. Peter Brown said that one of the most important
deterrents may be the more aggressive prosecution of migrant smugglers.
``We have had hundreds of indictments against hundreds of defendants,''
said Brown.
In Cuba, Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo, who writes a blog about Cuban life,
said he believed part of the drop was due to increased Cuban patrols
looking for illegal departures.
INTERDICTION
Havana human rights activist Elizardo Sánchez said he had seen no
evidence of increased patrols, however. Besides the tighter U.S.
interdiction at sea, he said, some Cubans may have decided to stay on
the island hoping for major improvements under Raúl Castro, who
succeeded his ailing brother Fidel in 2008.
While no one mentioned it, Cuban exiles now can more easily travel and
send money to Cuba after President Barack Obama eased restrictions last
year.
The principal routes that undocumented Cubans have used to reach the
United States in recent years have been across the Florida Straits and
the Yucatán Channel, which separates Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula from
western Cuba.
The Florida Straits remained the most widely used route from the time
Fidel Castro seized power in 1959 to the early part of this decade. But
after the Coast Guard tightened interdiction methods in the area in the
aftermath of 9/11, many Cuban shifted their escape route to the Yucatán
Channel.
From landing sites in Cozumel, Cancún and Isla Mujeres, the Cuban
migrants -- largely with the aid of smugglers -- make their way to the
U.S. Once in the United States, they can stay under the so-called
wet-foot/dry-foot policy.
MILESTONES
Over the last half century of Castro rule, the island's migrant flow has
undergone several major milestones, including the 1980 Mariel boatlift
that brought more than 125,000 refugees to the United States and the
1994 rafter crisis that brought another 37,191.
While the number of undocumented Cuban migrants who were interdicted or
arrived by land and sea hit nearly 20,000 in fiscal year 2007, the
annual totals have been dropping every year since 2008.
In that year, the number hit 16,260. In fiscal year 2009, the total
dwindled to 8,113.
During the 2010 fiscal year that ended last week, the number was about
6,855, though the Border Patrol has yet to release its final figures for
the one-year period.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/10/05/1859327/exodus-of-cubans-slowing.html
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