US warns Haiti and Cubans not to try to enter illegally by sea

WASHINGTON, July 13 (Reuters) – US Secretary of State for Homeland Security Alejandro Meyercas on Tuesday warned potential immigrants from Cuba and Haiti not to attempt to illegally reach the United States by sea, as the travel is too dangerous and they may be allowed to enter. will not be allowed to do so. .

“Let me be clear: If they go to sea, they will not reach the United States,” Meyerkas said at a news conference.

Meyerkas said Coast Guard officials are monitoring the route by air and have not seen an increase in migrants since the unrest in Cuba and the assassination of the Haitian president last week.

He said US officials are prepared to deal with any escalation.

The senior official, whose family fled when the Cuban revolution came to power, said the issue had personal meaning for him and highlighted the dangers of travel.

“It’s not worth taking the risk,” he said.

(Reporting by Jan Wolff and Doina Chiacu; Edited in Spanish by Javier López de Lerida)