Authorities remain uncertain about the number of migrants landing on the island, stating, “There is no crime.”
“Isla Mujeres is becoming a cemetery of abandoned rafts used by Cubans to reach Mexico,” says Javier Robles, a fisherman who rents out a catamaran to tourists in Cancun, Quintana Roo. Last weekend, several migrants from Cuba landed in Costa Mujeres, as confirmed by TV Azteca Yucatan.
A local resident discovered a rustic boat named Esperanza while running with his dog on the beach. The boat contained Cuban money, clothes, cans of food, and fuel canisters.
Increasing Clandestine Arrivals
“Nobody knows or they don’t want to report,” says Robles, who in 2022 spoke to 14ymedio about the rise in clandestine trips from Cuba. “Between last June and now, three boats have been found on the beach. How many Cubans arrived? We don’t know. ‘There is no crime,’ say the authorities.”
A Cuban boat was abandoned last June on the rocks at Playa de Mascotas. A fishing boat with license plate PR5348F5a was left on the rocks at Playa de Mascotas in the La Gloria neighborhood, according to Robles. “The authorities were notified, but they only took photos.” In early October, fishermen reported that in the area known as El Riíto, “some Cubans barely saw the beach nearby, jumped, and disappeared into the streets.” Robles believes the Costa Mujeres raft “will remain on the beach, and the sea will eventually take it away.”
Broader Impact
Cuban rafters have also abandoned their vessels 360 kilometers away in Puerto Progreso. Local media reported on Monday that at least nine rafters disembarked and blended in with the population. Local authorities confirmed to 14ymedio that there was no operation regarding the entry of Cubans. The National Institute of Migration (INM) also confirmed no reports of foreigners arriving by sea.
Robles notes that coyotes have returned to Isla Mujeres due to “the security operations deployed in the Sian Ka’an Biosphere, some 160 kilometers further south, a reserve that previously lacked surveillance because foreign tourists did not like to see themselves surrounded by the police.”
#### Official Stance
Municipal police officer Dagoberto Canul assures that there are no official reports of clandestine arrivals to Isla Mujeres. The most recent known landing involved 25 Cuban rafters in early October on a beach near the Villa Kin hotel. Between January and October, a total of 102 irregular migrants were placed at the disposal of Immigration.
Illegal arrivals by sea have been denounced by the United Nations since 2021 in its report “Mar adentro: migrantes y náufragos en el mar.” Graviel García, a Cuban originally from Havana, confirmed to this newspaper in 2022 the clandestine departures from Pinar del Río. “I never contacted the coyote, but I know they charged $7,000, a lot for that danger,” he said.
Source: 14 y Medio
