The U.S. Coast Guard has seen a spike in the number of people trying to come to the United States illegally from the Caribbean over the past fiscal year. According to reports, U.S. authorities captured, intercepted or chased away at least 5,585 Haitians, 3,940 Cubans and hundreds from the Dominican Republic and other Caribbean countries trying to enter the country illegally.
That figure represents at least 3,000 more people intercepted than in the previous fiscal year. It’s also the highest number of Haitian migrants documented in five years and the highest number of Cubans recorded in six.
More than 1,920 migrants—most of them Cuban or Haitian—have been intercepted so far in the fiscal year that began October 1, 2014. The Coast Guard is concerned that that number will increase as news spreads about recent changes to the U.S. immigration system, including fast-tracking visas for some Haitians already approved to join family here and a series of executive actions announced by President Obama that would grant amnesty and work permits to an estimated 5 million illegal aliens.
“Any perceived changes to U.S. immigration policy can cause a spike in immigration because it gives a glimmer of hope,” even to people not eligible under those changes, said Capt. Mark Fedor, chief of response for the Coast Guard’s 7th District.
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