Cuban nationals detained at the Detention Centre have ended their hunger strike.
The Ministry Of Foreign Affairs And Immigration confirmed Thursday that the Cuban detainees began accepting meals yesterday and also ate breakfast yesterday morning.
However, online news from the Havana Times noted that the four Cuban women remain on that hunger strike, which started on Sunday.
According to the Havana Times, the women are protesting because they don’t want to be sent back to Cuba.
According to the article, the women said, “They’ve sprayed tear gas at us and among us are two minors,” one of the detainees, 22-year-old Mairelis Gonzalez told the Times.
“We don’t want to return to Cuba; we left seeking a better life.”
The Times said the other detainees include three other women ages 18, 19 and 27.
Foreign Affairs minister Fred Mitchell said on Wednesday that his ministry is trying to determine whether or not the hunger strike has anything to do with a demonstration the Cuban community is planning for today in South Florida.
The ministry’s press statement said that a medical doctor visited the Detention Centre earlier this week, examined the Cuban nationals and reported to authorities that all detainees were in good health.
Officials searched the centre and discovered several cell phones, which they later confiscated from the detainees.
The ministry said it will continue to monitor this situation and keep the general public abreast of any new developments at the Carmichael Road centre.