Two Cuban migrants landed in Florida精东影业 Key West International Airport (EYW) using a motorized hang glider at around 10:30 AM on March 25, 2023, according to a .
The men entered the United States illegally, and the report said that both were turned over to the custody of the U.S. Border Patrol. No serious injuries were reported.
“There were no interruptions in service and operations continued as normal,” according to a statement released by Key West Airport, as reported by local Florida news.
The moment was caught on video and uploaded on several social media channels, including YouTube:
, particularly to Florida, since the 1959 Cuban Revolution. An estimated 500,000 Cubans migrated to the US in the 15 years since the revolution. From the 1980s until the present, Cubans have continued to migrate to the United States mostly for economic reasons.
The closest distance between Cuba and Florida is 165 kilometers (103 miles).
A showed that more Cubans are taking the risk to migrate to the United States amid deepening and compounding political and economic crises at home. Since the US government精东影业 new fiscal year began in October 2022, around 4,200 migrants from Cuba have been stopped at sea 鈥 or about 43 a day.
According to the report, Cubans are willing to take the risk because those who make it to the United States almost always get to stay, even if they arrived illegally. The report also said that the US and Cuba do not have formal diplomatic relations, and the American government has no way to repatriate the migrants.
鈥淐ubans are released but given an order that requires them to contact federal immigration authorities periodically to confirm their address and status. They are allowed to get work permits, driver精东影业 licenses and Social Security numbers, but cannot apply for permanent residency or citizenship,鈥 the AP report said.
Meanwhile, the daredevil pilots who entered the US with a powered hang glider earned the praise of local pilot Nick Pontecorvo, who that he spotted the paraglider from the air.
鈥淚t was pretty awesome. To make that flight 90 miles over open ocean, especially with the wind, that takes a lot of courage,鈥 Pontecorvo said.
can fly up to 830 kilometers, depending on the load, weight and fuel.
