US has contingency plans if it faces mass migration by sea from Cuba: Official

FILE PHOTO: A vintage car passes by in front of the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba
A vintage car passes by in front of the US Embassy in Havana, Cuba, on Jan 12, 2017. (Photo: REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini)

WASHINGTON: The United States has contingency plans and a "robust presence" in the Florida Straits if it has to deal with any increased flow of migrants fleeing Cuba by sea during the latest unrest, a senior Biden administration official said on Thursday.

The official, speaking on condition on anonymity, reiterated US Homeland Alejandro Mayorkas' admonition for Cuban migrants not to head for US shores and said a senior Cuban official's threat of "mass migration" reflects "a lack of care for the lives of Cubans who would risk their lives to come to the United States."

Source: Reuters/ec