Rise in Maritime Migration to the United States Is a Reminder of Chapters Past

Muzaffar Chishti, Jessica Bolter, MPI, May 25, 2022

"The United States is witnessing a significant increase in unauthorized maritime migration from the Caribbean, which has been largely overshadowed by rising arrivals at the U.S.-Mexico land border. While the 14,500 maritime migration attempts in fiscal year (FY) 2021 were just 1 percent of the encounters at the southwest border that year, U.S. interdictions of Haitians and Cubans at sea have collectively reached a level not seen since the 1990s. ... This article explores the recent rise in unauthorized maritime migration through the Caribbean with echoes from prior chapters in recent U.S. history. Of course, maritime migration—both voluntary and forced—has been part of U.S. history since before the country’s founding, bringing colonial settlers and enslaved people as well as subsequent waves of European and Asian immigrants in the 19th and 20th centuries. Now, most maritime migration is unauthorized, as immigrants coming from overseas through legal channels mostly travel via air. This article focuses on migration of Haitians and Cubans, given their rising numbers this year, but unauthorized migrants from other countries such as the Dominican Republic and China have also taken maritime routes. ..."