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Mayorkas to Cubans, Haitians: Do not come to the U.S.
There isnāt a surge in Cuban or Haitian migrants by sea so far, but the U.S. Coast Guard has deployed officials to monitor the situation given upheaval in both countries.
āAllow me to be clear: If you take to the sea, you will not come to the United States,ā Mayorkas said. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
07/13/2021 05:16 PM EDT
Cuban-born Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday delivered a clear message to the Cuban and Haitian people amid upheaval in both Caribbean nations: Do not come to the United States.
āThe time is never right to attempt migration by sea,ā Mayorkas said in a press conference at the U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters. āTo those who risk their lives doing so, this risk is not worth taking
Allow me to be clear: If you take to the sea, you will not come to the United States.ā
Mayorkasā message comes amid continued protests in Cuba calling for the end of the 62-year-old dictatorship and the recent assassination of the president of Haiti.
The Biden administration has expressed solidarity with the thousands of Cubans protesting on the communist-run island, but so far has not shared any concrete plans or policy to help them. On Sunday, a delegation of U.S. officials traveled to Haiti to discuss the Haitian governmentās ask for U.S. assistance following the presidentās assassination.
Anti-government protesters march in Havana, Cuba, Sunday, July 11, 2021. Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets in several cities in Cuba to protest against ongoing food shortages and high prices of foodstuffs. (AP Photo/Eliana Aponte) | Eliana Aponte/AP Photo
Many migrants attempting to reach the United States by sea have died on the dangerous trek over the years. In recent weeks, 20 migrants have died at sea, Mayorkas said.
So far, the U.S. has not seen a surge in Cuban or Haitian migrants by sea, Mayorkas said. But the U.S. Coast Guard has deployed officials to monitor the situation by air and sea in the Florida Straits and Caribbean Sea, he said.
āAny migrant intercepted at sea, regardless of their nationality, will not be permitted to enter the United States,ā Mayorkas said.
In fiscal 2021, 470 Cubans and 313 Haitians have been intercepted at sea, compared to 49 Cubans and 430 Haitians in fiscal 2020, Mayorkas said.