AGUADILLA, Puerto Rico – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents apprehended 11 undocumented Cuban immigrants after they landed Tuesday in Mona Island.
Park Rangers from the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources contacted the Ramey Border Patrol Station indicating that 11 adult Cuban nationals (nine males and two females) reached the outpost located on Mona Island, Puerto Rico.
A CBP Office of Air and Marine UH-60M Blackhawk helicopter transferred the group from Mona to Aguadilla for immigration processing.
After admissibility processing at the Border Patrol Station, the 11 Cuban adults will receive a Notice to Appear (NTA) before an Immigration Judge, for further proceedings under the Cuban Migration Agreement of 1995 and the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966.
During the fiscal year 2015 (October 1 to September 30), the Ramey Border Patrol Sector has apprehended 375 undocumented migrants; 156 Cubans, 91 Dominicans, and 128 Haitians.
The Administration’s recent announcement regarding Cuba does not signify a change in the current immigration policy toward Cuba, under the 1995 amendment of the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966.
CBP maintains a robust posture regarding the enforcement of our immigration laws along the nation’s borders and coastal areas, and Coast Guard cutters aggressively patrol the Caribbean and Florida Straits to interdict migrants traveling from Cuba to the United States by water.
Eighty miles separate the Dominican Republic from Puerto Rico. At the approximate mid-point lies the island of Mona, an uninhabited island that is a United States territory.
Professional alien smugglers in the Dominican Republic strategically navigate to and use Mona Island as a drop off point for migrants who must then be recovered from Mona and transported to Puerto Rico by CBP or USCG air or marine assets.
About the Wet Foot, Dry Foot Policy
The wet foot, dry foot policy is the name given to a consequence of the 1995 revision of the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966. After talks with the Cuban government, the Clinton administration came to an agreement with Cuba that it would stop admitting people found at sea. Since then, in what has become known as the "wet foot, dry foot" policy, a Cuban caught on the waters between the two nations (i.e., with "wet feet") would be sent to the place of embarkation. One who makes it to shore ("dry feet") might remain in the United States.