Since President Barack Obama announced that the U.S. would begin to normalize relations with Cuba, the United States Coast Guard says it has seen a huge increase in the number of Cuban immigrants attempting to make the 90-mile trip to the U.S.
In December, a total of 481 Cuban migrants were intercepted in 37 different instances as they attempted to migrate to the U.S. - a 117 percent increase from December 2013.
In the first five days of 2015, a total of 96 Cuban migrants were apprehended in seven separate events in the Florida Straits, the Coast Guard said.
And in the past week alone, the Coast Guard said it intercepted and repatriated 121 Cuban refugees in seven separate events.
The Coast Guard said that most of the interdictions included unseaworthy, homemade vessels that posed "significant risk to the migrants attempting to make the perilous journey."
"The Coast Guard has increased patrols in the Florida Straits in response to the surge of illegal migration attempts into the United States over the last three weeks while continuing to aggressively patrol the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico," the Coast Guard said in a statement.
Obama announced on Dec. 17 that the U.S. plans to reestablish diplomatic relations with Cuba. An embassy is expected to soon reopen in Havana, sales and export laws have been amended, and travel restrictions relaxed.
Many of the immigrants caught in recent weeks are telling Coast Guard officials that the reason why so many Cubans are attempting to migrate now is due to a rumor that the U.S. intends to change its immigration policy by January 15.
The rumor circulating around Cuba is that the U.S. will end its "wet-foot dry-foot" policy, which gives preferential immigration status to Cubans who land on American soil, NBC News reported.
But the Coast Guard insists that the rumor is not true and only Congress can change that specific immigration policy.
"The Administration's recent announcement regarding Cuba does not affect immigration policies including wet foot/dry foot or the Cuban Adjustment Act - which only Congress can change," said Rear Adm. Jake Korn, Coast Guard 7th District commander.
"U.S. Coast Guard missions and operations in the Caribbean, Straits of Florida and Gulf of Mexico remain unchanged. The Coast Guard strongly discourages attempts to illegally enter the United States by taking to the sea. The Coast Guard is aggressively maintaining a presence in the region and discourages these dangerous and deadly voyages. Individuals must have a visa or other permission to travel to the States and anyone located at sea will be returned to Cuba in accordance with immigration laws," he added.
