By Jasper Ward
(Reuters) - The Bahamas detained an increasing number of sea-borne Cuban migrants in 2022 compared with 2021, according to figures released to Reuters, as an economic crisis triggered an exodus from the Communist-run island.
The Royal Bahamas Defense Force (RBDF) apprehended 623 Cuban migrants in 2022 compared with 17 the year before, according to RBDF figures provided to Reuters, with migrant interceptions picking up pace in recent months.
Cuban vessels typically end up in Bahamian waters after being blown off course or navigating the wrong way while trying to reach Florida.
Vessels are increasingly leaving from Cuba's central Ciego de Avila province, RBDF Commodore Dr. Raymond King told Reuters, an area that is closer to The Bahamas.
"The number of Cuban migrants intercepted thus far has increased significantly during the past two months," King said, noting that 61 Cubans have been intercepted in Bahamian waters so far this year.
Most Cuban migrants in 2022 arrived in the United States by the border with Mexico, though some still made perilous sea voyages.
The frequency of vessel departures from Ciego de Avila has increased from two to six vessels on average per day, King said. There were also more Cubans onboard each improvised vessel, with an average of eight to 20 people.
The expectation that the Biden administration would ease border restrictions known as "Title 42" was likely a factor in the increased migrant of 2022, he said.
But the United States in January expanded Trump-era restrictions to rapidly expel Cuban, Nicaraguan and Haitian migrants caught illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, while allowing up to 30,000 people from those three countries plus Venezuela to enter the country by air each month.