14ymedio, Havana, 8 January 2024 — A group of 10 Cuban rafters has been detained since January 4 in Jamaica for illegally entering the country. The migrants are waiting for a second hearing, next Thursday, before the Duncans Parish Court. In the first hearing, they pleaded “not guilty” before Judge Paula Hall, according to the newspaper The Gleaner.
The rafters, with support from interpreter Kimberly Watt, said that on December 29 they left the Island on a raft with the intention of reaching Florida. However, the bad weather damaged the raft and forced them to disembark at the Excellence Resort.
According to the Jamaican Embassy in Cuba, the inhabitants of the Island require a tourist visa, which costs 30 euros.
The rafters, with the support of interpreter Kimberly Watt, said that on December 29 they left the Island on a raft with the intention of reaching Florida
Since March 2023, Jamaica has req