MADRID, Spain.- The United States Coast Guard repatriated 22 Cuban migrants this week after intercepting them in two separate operations south of the Florida Keys. Authorities reported through the social network XThe crew of the Pablo Valent ship was responsible for returning the migrants to Cuba.
The operations occurred after Customs and Border Protection (CBPAMO) agents detected the migrants during their routine air patrols over the Straits of Florida. In the statement, the US authorities warned again about the dangers of crossing the sea in precarious boats, urging migrants not to risk their lives in such conditions.
The group, made up of 19 men and three women, came from the provinces of Ciego de Ávila and Villa Clara and was detained on the high seas while trying to flee the country. The rafters were handed over to Cuban authorities through the port of Orozco, in the province of Artemisa, according to a statement from the Ministry of the Interior.
With this new repatriation, the number of Cubans returned to the Island from different countries so far in 2024 amounts to 1,101, according to official reports. In addition to maritime repatriations, Cuban citizens have also been returned to the country on commercial flights from the Cayman Islands, Bahamas and Dominican Republic.
During this year, at least 142 Cubans have lost their lives trying to reach the United States irregularly, according to the Missing Migrants Program of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Likewise, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office reported that between October 2023 and July 2024, 196,567 Cubans managed to reach U.S. territory.
Since 2021, the Cuban exodus has surpassed previous migratory waves, such as the Rafters Crisis in 1994, the Mariel exodus in 1980, and the Boca de Camarioca migration in 1965.
