Cuban Migrants Likely Shot Themselves At Sea, Says Official
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- An official with the U.S. Coast Guard believes the seven Cuban rafters picked up off the coast of Key West last week may have shot themselves, according to an In Cuba Today article.
Crews intercepted the boat carrying 26 migrants aboard only to discover seven of them suffering from gunshot wounds. Six of those wounded were treated at a hospital in the U.S. while the other migrants were repatriated back to Cuba.
The victims told the CBS4 News desk that they were shot by people trying to steal their boat while attempting to leave the Cuban island. The injuries were considered serious enough to warrant immediate medical attention.
However, an unnamed official thinks they shot themselves in order to stay on American soil under the wet foot/dry foot policy.
Because that accusation can't be confirmed, the Cubans were eventually released by Border Patrol without further action expected to be taken. That means they'll get to stay in the U.S.
The incident comes as the Cuban exodus to Florida grows increasingly desperate with more and more Cubans fearing a day when the wet foot/dry foot policy is no longer in effect.
In the last three months of 2015, nearly twice as many Cubans attempted the expedition than the year before.
The Obama administration has said that there are no plans to change the immigration policy.
