One Cuban migrant dead in capsizing off Cayman Islands
By Peter Polack
GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands (Reuters) - A Cuban migrant drowned after a
makeshift vessel with four passengers overturned in rough seas off the
Cayman Islands on Saturday afternoon, local officials said.
The three other Cubans, all in their 20s and 30s, made it to shore
clinging to two inner tubes with the help of local surfers and were
taken into custody, local officials said on Sunday.
The dead man was identified as Manuel Marino, believed to be in his 50s,
Cayman officials said. The three survivors were identified as Dailer
Perez Arresoitia, 27, Diosul Alarcon Barrero, 37, and Lety Sanchez
Fonseca, 33, all from Santa Cruz del Sur in the eastern province of
Camaguey.
Local police had been watching the 18-foot wooden sailboat off the coast
of Grand Cayman during the day. The island lies southwest of Cuba,
between it and the Central American mainland.
Cubans fleeing their country have been heading in increasing numbers to
Central America by sea and then making a long journey overland to reach
the United States.
Cuba blames Washington's "wet foot, dry foot policy" for encouraging
migrants to risk their lives. Under the policy, Cuban migrants who make
it onto U.S. soil are allowed to remain. Those intercepted at sea are
turned back.
Cuba and the U.S. made a historic announcement Dec. 17 to renew
diplomatic relations, but the agreement made no mention about any
changes to immigration policies.
U.S. officials say more than 16,000 Cubans arrived without visas at the
border with Mexico last year, the highest number in a decade.
The Cayman Islands government recently met with Cuban authorities to
review an existing migration accord, under which Cubans who land in the
Cayman Islands are usually repatriated.
Source: One Cuban migrant dead in capsizing off Cayman Islands - Yahoo
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http://news.yahoo.com/one-cuban-migrant-dead-capsizing-off-cayman-islands-182258613.html;_ylt=AwrBEiFLeapUc3IA_JrQtDMD
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