Authorities took the refugees into custody, but under the wet foot-dry foot policy they will be allowed to remain in the United States.
Some of the 26 Cuban migrants who came ashore Friday are detained by authorities. CHARLES STRAND
BY ALFONSO CHARDY
ACHARDY@ELNUEVOHERALD.COM
Twenty-six Cubans came ashore near Newfound Harbor in the Florida Keys in what authorities described as a possible migrant-smuggling operation.
The refugees, who arrived Friday, were taken into custody by the U.S. Border Patrol during an operation that also involved the Coast Guard, according to federal officials who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak about the case.
The fact that the Border Patrol handled the arrival means the migrants will be able to stay in the United States under the wet foot-dry foot policy, which allows Cubans who reach U.S. soil to stay while those intercepted at sea are returned to Cuba. Cubans who reach U.S. soil, even without immigration papers, can apply for permanent residence after spending more than a year in the country.
The group is the largest to reach the Florida coast so far in the new year. Although the Border Patrol has not released a statement or recent arrival figures of undocumented Cuban migrants, Coast Guard figures show that in the past four months at least 316 Cuban migrants have been intercepted in the Florida Straits. Friday’s arrival of more than two dozen might indicate that the flow of Cuban migrants is increasing.
During fiscal year 2010, 422 Cuban migrants were intercepted by Coast Guard cutters and 409 reached land. But the number of arrivals and interceptions increased in fiscal year 2011, which ended Sept. 30, to 985 intercepted at sea and 696 reaching land.
Most Cuban migrants arrive across the Mexican border. In fiscal year 2011 more than 5,000 Cubans arrived at the border, a number similar to that of fiscal 2010.
The Coast Guard sent two vessels to the area where the migrants came ashore Friday, and a reconnaissance aircraft flew over Big Pine Key and the surrounding area, according to the Keysnet.com website, which first reported the landing. Newfound Harbor is between Ramrod Key and Little Torch Key.
A speedboat was seen leaving the area shortly after 7:30 a.m., according to witnesses. The boat probably belonged to migrant-smugglers, according to federal officials.
A Border Patrol officials said she had no details to release about the case.
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