Cuban migrants continue to make the perilous journey across the Florida Straits in large numbers as the economic and political situation in that island country continues to deteriorate.
The crew of a Liberian-flagged containership rescued 19 Cubans off the Florida Keys on Friday. The crew of the MV Methoni contacted Sector Key West Command Center watchstanders at 1:40.
Nineteen Cubans were rescued from the water approximately 33 miles southeast of the Alligator Reef Lighthouse near Islamorada after their raft flipped over, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.