More Cubans have tried to make it to American shores so far this year compared to 2014, even after the U.S. restored diplomatic ties with the island nation, the Associated Press reports.
Now that the two countries have reestablished diplomatic relations, many migrants worry that the U.S. will change its long-standing rule that allows Cubans that reach American soil to remain there and move toward citizenship—a perk unique to Cuban immigrants.
So far this fiscal year, which started Oct. 1, more than 4,000 illegal Cuban migrants have been found in the seas between Cuba and the U.S. That’s already more than the 3,731 Cubans intercepted in 2014.
Those caught at sea are typically sent back to Cuba.