MIAMI, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- The number of Cubans intercepted while trying to reach the United States is at its highest level since the 1994 exodus sanctioned by Fidel Castro.
The New York Times says the sharp rise and an increase in clashes with the Coast Guard are inflaming tensions over a policy that allows Cubans without visas to stay if they reach U.S. soil but turns back those caught at sea.
Critics blame the "wet foot, dry foot" policy for at least 39 deaths this year in the Florida Straits. They say the policy encourages Cubans to risk their lives, the newspaper said.
Coast Guard data show that as of Friday, 2,683 Cubans had been intercepted at sea this year, nearly double the number for all of 2004.
The increased number of Cubans reaching U.S. soil is attributed to Cuba's crumbling economy and more aggressive smuggling.
"The message to Cuban families is that if you don't want to wait in line, your relatives in Miami can pay $8,000 and you've got a good chance to make it here," said Philip Peters, a Cuba analyst at the Washington-based Lexington Institute. "It really is a glaring exception in the whole homeland security policy."
