WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Coast Guard searched Mondayfor missing Cuban migrants off the coast of Lake Worth after rescuing one person who said their boat capsized.
It followed a weekend in which U.S. Border Patrol reported five migrant landings and 98 Cuban migrants encountered in South Florida.
Boynton Beach immigration attorney Richard Hujber said the situation in Cuba is driving more to take the risk as they face political persecution and a depleted economy.
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"There are no changes in Cuba," Hujber said. "It's only getting worse. It's desperation. It's frustration."
Hujber said American policies are also giving many Cubans an incentive, allowing them to stay in the U.S. more easily.
"Under the Cuban Adjustment Act, instead of seeking asylum, you get a green card in a year and a day," Hujber said. "At least you can apply for it."
Whether it's crossing the Florida Straits by boat or trying to cross the Mexican border by foot, more Cubans are trying to reach the U.S.
Vielka Wambold who helps assist migrants with the Witness at the Border organization sums it up with the first line of the poem "Home" by Warsan Shire.
"Nobody leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark," Wambold said. "And that is so true for all of these countries."
