ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Cuba is seeing a surge in unauthorized migration to the United States, fueled by an economic crisis.

Many feel desperate, and legal ways to leave have been strained by the Trump administration’s near-closure of the U.S. Consulate in 2017.

Most Cubans who want to try for a U.S. visa now have to go to embassies in other countries — and getting there is almost impossible due to sharp cuts in air traffic during the pandemic.

That has pushed many Cubans to launch themselves into the sea on small boats or rafts to attempt the dangerous crossing of the Florida Straits to the United States.