**Coast Guard Rejects 239 Migrants, 17 Stranded Cubans Rescued**
The Coast Guard reported on January 14th, 2023 that over the course of seven days they had rejected 13 attempts of 239 immigrants to disembark on the US coast. In the same week they had also rescued 17 Cuban immigrants who were stranded on Elbow Cay in the Bahamas.
Florida has seen a notable influx in immigrants, mostly from Cuba and Haiti, along with multiple vessels intercepted off of its coasts. In the past 8 months since August of 2022, 5,200 undocumented migrants have landed with 8,400 intercepted at sea and repatriated.
On Friday, the United States Border Patrol reported three landings in the Florida Keys, with 50 Cubans on board that remained in the custody of immigration authorities. Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida responded by declaring a state of emergency and sending the National Guard to aid with immigration tasks.
The Coast Guard has intercepted 4,917 Cubans since October 1, 2022, the beginning of the current fiscal year. 6,182 migrants of Cuban descent were detained in the previous fiscal period. All were provided with food, water, shelter, and basic medical care that they may have needed.
Repartriations were done with the consent of the Cuban government, while Haitian repatriations were done with the consent of the Haitian government. This increase in arrivals of undocumented immigrants has left a strain on the Coast Guard and the government of Florida.
