A young Cuban pilot arrived in South Florida this Friday aboard an old Soviet-era plane that he stole to escape from the communist island, which is facing the largest exodus in its recent history amid an unprecedented economic crisis and constant complaints. of political repression.
The 29-year-old immigrant, identified as Rubén Martínez, landed safely in Miami, relatives confirmed.
There
were no other passengers in the Antonov An-2 model plane.
Martínez's mother explained to Noticias Telemundo that her son left Cuba illegally in a small plane that he used for his work as an employee of air services within the island.
Elisa Machado said she was glad that her son had arrived safely.
“I have seen on the news that it arrived.
That means he is alive.
He is the only thing that matters to me, ”said her mother in the interview.
“I ask you to take care of yourself.
That's all".
The young man worked as a pilot in Cuba. Courtesy
It is not clear how the young pilot managed to outwit the authorities to divert the plane to Miami, on a flight that lasted about an hour.
His mother said she did not know of the young man's plans.
“These are decisions that he makes.
I do not agree, "she said.
A friend of the pilot told Noticias Telemundo that he contacted him after landing and told him that he was fine.
As of Friday night, Martinez was in Border Protection Agency custody at Miami International Airport, authorities confirmed to Noticias Telemundo.
It is possible that he will request political asylum, as have hundreds of thousands of Cubans who continue to reach US soil
amid constant blackouts and unprecedented shortages of medicines and basic supplies.
An old plane from the Soviet era
Local media that took pictures of the plane indicated that the aircraft belonged to the National Air Services Company (ENSA) of Cuba,
which deals with the aerial spraying of crops.
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The Antonov An-2 light aircraft, also called the Annushka, is a single-engine biplane originally from the 1940s and was the first model in the Antonov range of aircraft, which also operate in commercial aviation.
The model used by the Cuban pilot is used for light transport with capacity for twelve passengers, parachuting and agricultural work, indicates the EFE news agency.
CiberCuba, an independent news outlet based in Spain, showed images of the small plane, colored yellow and blue.
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He also indicated, citing sources close to the aviator, that he
had flown from Sancti Spíritus
, a province in central Cuba located more than 185 miles (300 kilometers) east of Havana, the Cuban capital.
Officials from the Miami International Airport told the EFE agency that the plane landed at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport around 11:30 local time.
That airport provides training service for commercial pilots and serves "a small number of military landings and takeoffs," according to the agency.
A record exodus by land, sea and air
The spectacular landing is just the latest episode in a mass exodus of Cubans by land, sea and air, and it is already the largest recorded from the communist island since the Castro brothers took power in 1959.
Some 180,000 Cubans have arrived on US soil in the last nine months, a record number.
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The most common route is by land, through Nicaragua, an ally of the Havana regime exempted Cubans from visas in 2021, which analysts describe as a way for Cuba to release political pressure and let go of those most dissatisfied with the communist system.
The number of immigrants by sea is also seeing an increase, the Coast Guard confirmed to Noticias Telemundo in September, warning of the danger for the rustic boats that are used on these trips.
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During fiscal year 2022 (between October 1, 2021 and September 30, 2022) a total of 6,182 Cuban migrants have been intercepted in the waters of the Straits of Florida, well above the 838 detained the previous fiscal period.
Most of those who arrive by sea are deported
, after the end of the Dry Feet / Wet Feet policy, in 2017, which allowed Cubans who managed to make landfall before being intercepted to obtain legal status.
The arrival of the Soviet plane in Miami this Friday is only the most recent of the episodes that show the risk that Cubans seem willing to face to leave the island, where just over 11 million people live.
In August 2019, a Cuban stowaway made headlines after arriving in Miami hidden in the cargo of a Swift airline plane.
An immigration judge granted him political asylum weeks later.