Q24N – “It never is the right time to try to migrate by sea,” said National Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. “It is not worth taking the risk (…) Let me be clear: if you jump into the sea, it will not be to come to the United States,” he stressed.
Mayorkas’s statements come at a time of turmoil in both Haiti and Cuba, already burdened by a deep political, economic and security crisis, following the assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise and meanwhile, Cuba registered unprecedented demonstrations over the weekend against living conditions and the communist government.
It is the first time that a large group of Cubans have taken to the streets of Havana to protest against the Government since the famous “Maleconazo” of 1994, in the midst of the crisis of the “special period”.
More than a hundred people have been reported as detained in Cuba after the historic protests.
Mayorkas said there is still no evidence of an increase in attempts to enter US territory by sea from those two countries located south of the Florida peninsula.
However, he indicated that the Coast Guard, which patrols the waters of that state located in the southeastern United States with air assistance, will intercept any boat with migrants.
“Any migrant intercepted at sea, regardless of their nationality, will be barred from entering the United States,” Mayorkas said, adding that crossing the Florida Straits is very dangerous during hurricane season. He also said that 20 people have died in recent weeks trying to reach US soil.
The United States is collaborating with Haiti in the investigation of the murder of Moise and posted Coast Guard ships off Haiti’s coast.
“We are committed to supporting the Haitian government as it seeks justice in this case, and we affirm the support of the United States for the people of Haiti,” Mayorkas said.
“We also sympathize with the Cuban people and their call to free themselves from the repression and economic suffering caused by the authoritarian regime of Cuba,” he added.