A Disney cruise ship picked up 12 migrants Southeast of Cuba

A Disney cruise ship picked up 12 migrants Southeast of Cuba
Carma Hassan, Catherine E. Shoichet and Sheena Jones, CNN
Published: February 14, 2016, 5:33 pm

(CNN) – A Disney cruise ship stopped on its way to the Cayman Islands to
pick up 12 suspected migrants southeast of Cuba, the U.S. Coast Guard
said Sunday.

Disney Wonder was heading from Miami to Grand Cayman when the group of
suspected migrants was spotted around 8 p.m. Saturday, according to a
source with knowledge of the incident.

The migrants were brought aboard the boat, which boasts "11 decks
overflowing with restaurants, pools, recreation and more."

The 12 suspected migrants, who were all Cuban, were on a "rustic"
vessel, U.S. Coast Guard 7th District spokesman Jon-Paul Rios said.
"Rustic" is a term authorities use to describe dangerous, unseaworthy
vessels, Rios said.

The suspected migrants are being turned over to Grand Cayman
authorities, Rios said.

Rios said it's unclear whether the migrants had been heading to the
United States.

U.S. officials have noted an uptick in Cuban migrants trying to get to
the United States on land and by sea. One reason, experts say, is fear
that days are numbered for immigration policies welcoming Cubans into
the United States now that relations between the countries are warming.

Earlier this month officials in the Cayman Islands said more than 120
Cuban migrants had landed there since January.

In 2013, the same Disney cruise ship picked up a group of eight migrants
stranded on a raft about 45 miles from Key West.

At the time, Disney said it picked up that group at the request of the
Coast Guard.

Cruise ships have agreements to contact the U.S. Coast Guard if they
come in contact with migrants, Rios said, and it's common for cruise
ships to pick up migrants stranded at sea, take them to the ship's next
port of call and hand them over to authorities.

Source: A Disney cruise ship picked up 12 migrants Southeast of Cuba |
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