On Saturday morning, March 25, 2023, a strange sight greeted the staff and passengers at Key West International Airport in Florida. A motorized hang glider carrying two men landed on the runway, causing a brief disruption of the airport operations. The men were not tourists or thrill-seekers, but Cuban migrants who had flown more than 90 miles from their homeland.
According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, which has deputies assigned to the airport, the two migrants landed safely at about 10:30 a.m. local time and were taken into custody by the U.S. Border Patrol. No serious injuries were reported, and the airport resumed normal operations shortly after.
The two men on board the hang glider were Cuban nationals who had apparently built the motorized hang glider themselves. The homemade craft consists of a fabric wing attached to a metal frame with a small engine and propeller.
Ultralight aircraft are not uncommon in Cuba, where they are used for recreational purposes or for smuggling goods and people across the Florida Straits. However, they are also extremely dangerous and unreliable, especially for long-distance flights over water. Many Cuban migrants have died or gone missing while attempting to reach the U.S. by air, as well as boat.
According to U.S. Coast Guard statistics, more than 7,000 Cubans tried to cross the Florida Straits by sea in fiscal year 2021, up from about 2,000 in fiscal year 2020. The increase was partly driven by deteriorating conditions in Cuba and partly by policy changes announced by the Biden administration.
In January 2023, Biden and company implemented a policy change that requires Cuban migrants to request a permit online before arriving in the U.S. with the sponsorship of a relative or acquaintance. Those who arrive without doing that risk deportation. The policy was supposedly intended to discourage illegal migration and to prevent human trafficking and smuggling.
However, some Cuban migrants have listened more to the apparently welcoming words coming from Biden and DHS Secretary Mayorkas, himself a native Cuban, than to official policy announcements.
The identities and motives of the ultralight duo have not been disclosed by the authorities, nor has their legal status or fate. It is unclear whether they will be allowed to stay in the U.S., or whether they will be deported back to Cuba or to a third country.
For more, see ABC News.