A large number of Cuban migrants continue to make landfall in the Florida Keys, with dozens taken into custody over the weekend.
At least 187 migrants were arrested after 10 separate landings in the Keys over a two-day stretch, U.S. Border Patrol officials said Sunday.
On Saturday, officials said they'd responded to five migrant landings in the Florida Keys and arrested 78 in the previous 24 hours.
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On Thursday, 19 Cuban migrants were taken into custody after arriving in Marathon in a homemade boat.
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The previous day, 16 Cuban migrants and one suspected smuggler were taken into custody after making landfall near Marathon, officials said.
Since Oct. 1, 2021, U.S. Coast Guard crews have interdicted nearly 4,000 Cuban migrants, the most since 2016, when 5,396 Cuban migrants were interdicted.
More than 60 have died while making the dangerous sea voyage.
"The year our forces have significantly increased our patrols intent on finding those in peril and rescuing migrants from grossly overloaded and dangerous vessels," said Chief of Enforcement Capt. Robert Kinsey, Coast Guard District Seven. "Since Oct. 1, 2021, there are 61 empty place settings at family dinners because people made the decision or were convinced by smugglers to take to the sea in these type of vessels."
