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Officials See Drop In Cuban Crossings

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The Associated Press

Published: September 29, 2008

MIAMI - Fewer Cubans have been apprehended this year trying to enter the United States, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The agency said over the weekend it had seen 25 percent fewer Cubans trying to illegally enter the country this fiscal year, which for them ends Tuesday. That amounts to 2,140 people, compared with 2,868 migrants last year.

Under United States policy, Cubans caught at sea are typically returned to their native country, while those who make landfall are allowed to remain here.

The decline has come after an ailing Fidel Castro resigned as Cuba's president in February, ceding control of the communist nation to his brother after nearly a half-century in power.

Still, plenty of Cubans are trying to make the 90-mile trip to the United States. Officials sent 29 Cubans back in four incidents over the past week.

The Coast Guard said almost 100 Cubans in the most recent two-year period died or are missing and presumed dead after attempting the trip to America.

A Cuban who has not been identified was declared dead Wednesday from head injuries received while trying to evade federal agents in rough seas. He was riding on an overloaded 25-foot speedboat with 32 others.

The decrease in those attempting the journey could owe to a busy Atlantic storm season. The Caribbean has been walloped much of the past two months by several hurricanes and named storms, after two relatively quiet years.

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