Cubans sneak ashore during U.S. security drill

[Jimmy2]

Cubans sneak ashore during U.S. security drill

Thu Mar 8, 2007 4:57pm ET

By Jane Sutton

MIAMI (Reuters) - While hundreds of U.S. law enforcement agents intercepted imaginary Cuban migrants during a massive training exercise in south Florida, two boatloads of actual Cubans sneaked ashore on Miami Beach on Thursday.

Boaters dropped off 21 Cuban migrants at a popular nudist beach and left 19 others on another beach a few hours later, the Border Patrol said. Both vessels escaped.

"It's our belief that they were the result of organized smuggling," Border Patrol spokesman Steve McDonald said.

The Cubans arrived on day two of a training exercise to test "Operation Vigilant Sentry," the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's plan to halt a possible mass migration from the Caribbean. About 325 agents from 85 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies took part in the exercise, which ended on Thursday.

"We're not embarrassed at all," McDonald said. "It's not uncommon for them (Cubans) to have landings."

Thursday's arrivals almost certainly will be granted asylum, like most Cubans who reach U.S. soil. Cubans intercepted at sea are usually returned to their communist homeland.

The training scenario envisioned a mass exodus of Cubans fleeing violence after their government fell, with Florida boaters headed south to pick up relatives and a deadly virus spreading among 2,000 migrants intercepted at sea.

Most of the action was simulated, but the long-planned exercise took on new urgency after Cuban President Fidel Castro temporarily handed power to his brother, Defense Minister Raul Castro, and underwent gastrointestinal surgery in July.

'DOESN'T HAVE TO BE FROM CUBA'

"It's a mass migration plan in general. It doesn't have to be from Cuba," said Coast Guard Rear Adm. David Kunkel, director of the Homeland Security southeastern task force.

"However we do recognize that Cuba is certainly an area where we must be prepared."

Participants at one location pretended to be aboard a command ship at sea, relaying information to those at emergency centers from the Florida Keys to West Palm Beach. On paper, 26 Coast Guard cutters and seven Navy ships took part but the agencies saved fuel and manpower by putting only four helicopters and a dozen small boats into service.

The goal was to get all the agencies and the military working together to interdict at least 95 percent of the migrants before they reached the U.S. shores, and return them to their homeland.

"Since 9/11 it is essential that we work diligently to protect our borders," Kunkel said.

Many in south Florida law enforcement have worked on actual mass migrations in the past as waves of Cubans and Haitians fled violence, poverty and repression. Kunkel was a Coast Guard helicopter pilot in the Florida Keys during the 1980 Mariel boatlift, which brought 125,000 Cubans to southeastern Florida in a chaotic few months

Since then, he said, "Things have changed. First of all, there is a plan."

The Coast Guard has picked up 637 Cubans at sea since October 1, and 2,810 in the 12 months before that.

The United States has better intelligence-gathering about political and economic conditions that could provoke a mass exodus, and would potentially have some lead time to warn would-be migrants against setting out for Florida, the Coast Guard officers said.

"Our message is, 'Don't take to the sea. It's dangerous,'" Kunkel said.

[DrAlejandro]

LOL that is pretty funny... bottom line is that theres a lot of money in miami and a very strong desire for cubans that are there to get their family members out of the mess there is in Cuba. Combine those two facts and what you get is a thriving industry of guys with go fast boats that will get your kin on american soil within 24 hours. For a hefty fee that is. Pretty hard to guard that much coastline with that much open ocean out there.

[CoryOllis]

If I lived there I would swim the whole damn way and Heaven help any shark who got in my way.

I eat shark! :-D

[El Presidente]

» LOL that is pretty funny... bottom line is that theres a lot of money in

» miami and a very strong desire for cubans that are there to get their

» family members out of the mess there is in Cuba. Combine those two facts

» and what you get is a thriving industry of guys with go fast boats that

» will get your kin on american soil within 24 hours. For a hefty fee that

» is. Pretty hard to guard that much coastline with that much open ocean out

» there.

All you need is $1200 USD and you will be having breakfast in Miami ;-)

[Ken Gargett]

that is priceless.

[puros71]

» All you need is $1200 USD and you will be having breakfast in Miami ;-)

No Rob $1200.00 is getting in from Mexico. Try like $10,000.00! Yeah thats right thats what those Cuban Americans are charging to boat them off the island. My wife knew this dude who got the lottery from the US to leave the island as a political dissident. Crazy bastard got involved with those smuggler clowns to bring his family to Miami. He was in country (US) no longer than 3 months, now his sorry is sitting in Castro's jail because he got caught smuggling. What a fool. But thats the price.

[DrAlejandro]

» » All you need is $1200 USD and you will be having breakfast in Miami ;-)

»

» No Rob $1200.00 is getting in from Mexico. Try like $10,000.00! Yeah thats

» right thats what those Cuban Americans are charging to boat them off the

» island. My wife knew this dude who got the lottery from the US to leave

» the island as a political dissident. Crazy bastard got involved with those

» smuggler clowns to bring his family to Miami. He was in country (US) no

» longer than 3 months, now his sorry is sitting in Castro's jail because he

» got caught smuggling. What a fool. But thats the price.

I dont know how accurate a lot of the things you say are... first of all, a cuban doesnt need to pay any money to get to the US from mexico. All he/she has to do is present themselves at the border and they will be granted asylum since they will have passed onto american soil. Second, 10k is a bit high for transport from cuba to miami... try 3-5k. Third, I dont see how a guy trying to get his family out of cuba by any means necessary is a "crazy bastard". Lastly, how is he sitting in a jail in cuba? the united states would not extradite him to cuba even if he did commit a felony....

[Cam]

We arent talking about normal transport fees like you jumping on a boat and going to the carribean for a vacation, these are people doing some very illegal and very dangerous, some people would give up thousands more for a chance at freedom, i dont doubt 10 thousand.. then again I dont actually know because im not a Cuban escapee..

[puros71]

Thats what the speed boat people a charging Cuban family members in the US. Now jineteros in Cuba hustle and try to save money in Cuba to do so. It is true to walk up to the border and claim asylum but the hard part is getting the Carta de invitacion out of the island. Most do it through Central America then sneek into Mexico. The crazy bastard my lady knows got caught on a speed boat from Miami in Cuba. Now he sits in a Cuban jail. And 10 gran is what the boat people are asking. 3 gran is to cross the desert in Arizona and Texas brother.