MADRID, Spain.- This Thursday September 26, the United States returned 62 irregular migrants to Cuba, adding a total of 1,153 Cubans deported so far in 2024. The deportations have been carried out in 72 operations from different countries in the region, according to official Cuban media.
The group, made up of 55 men and seven women, arrived at the José Martí international airport in Havana on a deportation flight, according to a statement from the Ministry of the Interior (Minint).
Cuba and the United States maintain a bilateral agreement that stipulates the return of all Cuban migrants who arrive in the United States by sea. After being suspended in December 2020, the deportation flights between both countries resumed in April 2023, after negotiations to address the migration crisis. Despite repeated warnings from US authorities, who have made it clear that those who enter illegally will be deported, the flow of Cuban migrants trying to improve their living conditions continues unabated.
On Tuesday of this week the United States Coast Guard repatriated to 22 Cuban migrants, after being intercepted in two operations south of the Florida Keys.
As reported by the USCG through the X social network, the crew of the ship Pablo Valent was in charge of returning the migrants to Cuba. The rafters, 19 men and three women, came from the provinces of Ciego de Ávila and Villa Clara, and were handed over to the Cuban authorities in the port of Orozco, province of Artemisa.
Since 2021, Cuba has experienced a migratory exodus that has surpassed previous waves such as the Raftsmen Crisis in 1994 and the Mariel exodus in 1980, which reflects the deep economic and social crisis facing the Island.
