Migrant repatriations continue as Florida steps up patrols

The U.S. Coast Guard repatriated 273 migrants to Matanzas, Cuba, over the weekend following interdictions off the Florida Keys. While more than 4,400 migrants from Cuba and Haiti have made their way by boat to the state since August, more than 700 migrants arrived in the Florida Keys over New Year's weekend, officials said. Many arrived on makeshift, motorized rafts used to make the dangerous 100-mile (160-kilometer) journey from the communist island across the dangerous Florida Straits. That led Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday to mobilize the Florida National Guard. The National Guard did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment about the mobilization.