(Reuters) – A Cuban man landed a small Russian-made plane at an isolated Florida airport after flying it from the Caribbean island, local media reported on Friday, amid a wave of migrants looking for to flee an economic crisis.
The only-engine Antonov An-2 landed at around 11:30 a.m. on the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport within the Florida Everglades, an NBC affiliate reported.
The person was a defector from Sancti Spiritus, Cuba, the Miami Herald reported, citing Miami-Dade Aviation Department spokesperson Gregory Chin.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection didn’t immediately reply to requests for comment.
The variety of Cubans leaving their homeland has soared this 12 months, with most arriving via the U.S. border with Mexico after traveling through Central America.
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That has fueled diplomatic tensions between the communist-run island and america, which is the migrants principal destination.
(Reporting by Brian Ellsworth; editing by Grant McCool)
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