First time in 7 years: No Cuban migrants to US caught at sea

MIAMI – The U.S. Coast Guard is hailing a landmark: Last month was the first in seven years when no Cuban migrants were caught trying to reach the U.S. by sea.

Coast Guard Commandant Paul Zukunft told The Wall Street Journal that no vessels were seized in April, and Coast Guard officials confirmed the data on Friday.

That’s a sea change from 2016, when 5,000 Cubans were apprehended in the water, the highest number the agency had seen in a decade.

The agency credits the end of a policy granting residency to any Cuban who steps on American soil. After President Barack Obama ended the “wet foot, dry foot” policy in January, interdictions dropped sharply across the Florida Straits and through the Mona Passage to Puerto Rico.