Why?

They wash up on our shores on a daily basis . . .

I was stunned when I moved to Miami years ago at the number that come all the time . . .

It never makes the national news though, unless overloaded boats full of Haitians disapear, and then it's a blurb on the news ...

I bet Miketv could offer some more stories than I, but it's more common that you think . . .

The boat lift of the early 90's sure provided some great dolfin fishing, with all the flotsom from the sunken home-made rafts . . .

You don't think that Elian Gonzalez was the last one to try, do you ?

Hundreds of Cubans flee that Island, only about half make it accross the straights.

You guys that defend Castro or speak of him with any respect,, do you wonder why people knowing there chances are 50/50 at best come here...sill come and come and come.....They are not disidants, they just want a better life..

Ah to be a Cuban American lawyer when that island opens up, they going to make a fortune while everyone fights for who owns what!!!!! There will be litigation for 20 years to sort it out !!!

You're right Topper, people flow from poverty to wealth automatically, in physics it's called the law of mass action.

http://tinyurl.com/y3weas 

Traffic between Cuba, the US, & Mexico is quite free flowing for that black market that knows how; always was and always will be.

The United Staes itself started out as a pirate nation, illegally shuttling goods from the Carribean to the north-eastern states, which England looked down on because they were missing out on their share of the coin, and prosecuted violators with extreme prejudice (when they could catch them). You think with all the drugs & money that come & go between Cuba, Mexico, & the US, a trade in people that restricted?

Killing me softly with the stupidity, now finish me with boredom.

How profound Juan Winthropito. Care to flesh it out with ideas?

Venga Tory Tory torito. Ven para que tiene su burrito whig sabroso. What an squishy addition you have made to the line up jbu, like a floater, a sea cucumber.

"Hundreds of Cubans flee that Island, only about half make it accross the straights."

please quote a source for these stats. If you made them up, please state so.

Maybe we should build a sea wall?

74.3% of Americans that complain about Cuba and Fidel Castro do so while smoking illegal Cuban cigars.

Buying Cuban cigars supports terrorists.

adroomi,

I don't think there are any facts to back up that to which that is common knowledge . . .

Especially in South Florida . . .

Usually it starts as whispers within the local Cuban community, and then it makes it onto the local spanish radio stations and then to wider South Florida media . . .

It then stops there . . .

We don't hear about all the dead cubans that wash up on the beaches of South Florida . . .

But it does happen . . .

Gee...

Millions of cell phones in Miami with cameras on them and not a single photo of the bodies....

It's a conspiracy I think.

Dang liberal media!

His ability to walk the streets among his people may have something to do with disarming the citizenry and using the army to "keep the peace". I think he's got that whole dictator thing going.

Adroomi,

I lived in south Florida for 25 years, thru the boat lift though Elian, thru the druggie days thru all the crap that is Miami. I was married to an Latino women, I don't have to do research to tell you the sun will come up tomorrow, it is just common knowledge. The bodies don't usually wash up on the beach, jeez , well you just have to be you.

Your obviously an expert on Cuban migration to Miami too!! how silly of me to think just because I was their I could know something you don't...

Please excuse my ignorance!!!!!

Topper,

I wasn't questioning the deaths, just the 50% part.

In fact, I would venture to say that the numbers that attempt that crossing are in the THOUSANDS each year. I truly don't believe that 50% die in the process. I do believe that VERY few make it successfully though in contrast.

I didn't mean to sound rude to you. My apologies.

All numbers related to illegal Cuban immigration to Florida are made up because there is no formal signout sheet when they leave Cuba. It is widely accepted that about half make it across to Florida although there is nothing to back that up.

Of the 50% that are estimated to not make it across, many are stopped by Cuban vessels, many are stopped by US Navy, US Coast Guard, and the US Border Patrol and these are all included in the "didn't make it" category.

Some of the 50% that didn't make it drown in storms or die of exposure. It is highly uncommon for a body to wash up. The strong Gulf Stream currents, the fish, and the sharks tend to provide a self-cleaning process.

!! Hermanos al Rescate !!

As slanted as this web-page is, it is still an eye-opener . . .

Caution, Graphic Images . . .

http://www.therealcuba.com/index.htm 

HD,

Your right on, but it is also our coast guard that picks up refugees and sends them back. A Cuban National must physically reach our shore to stay. They have been picked up 50 feet from shore and returned to Cuba.

There was an incident several years ago of the Coast Guard using STICKS to keep refugees who were about 100 feet from shore from reaching land, these people were exhausted, staving, and generally in a very bad way, well a news crew got the thing live on television. There was such a outcry even from us "gringo's" that they got special dispensation to stay. I think they were afraid of riots (Like Elian) from the Cuban residents. Anyway it was a horrible thing to watch...

and of course it was played to death by the local media...

If they don't make it to land, they go back under our "catch and release" program unless they can make a great asylum case. The whole idea of all the various governmental agencies involved is to catch them at sea and alive and send them back before they die of exposure, drown, or actually make it here!

The US Coast Guard publishes their "Catch and release" statistics on their web pages. December is off to a slow start.

(In the time it took me to write this post, 40,000 Mexicans walked across our southern border and 6 drunk Canadians stumbled across our northern border. We ought to build a wall with Canada. ...And Castro still owes me money!)

Your share of today's public debt is:

$30,610

http://www.therealcuba.com/index.htm