MIAMI, United States. — A total of 2,900 Cuban rafters have been repatriated since October 2021 by the United States Coast Guard (USCG), that federal agency reported today.
This is the largest number of migrants from the island that have been returned since fiscal year 2016, when 5,396 Cubans were repatriated.
The release of the Coast Guard indicates that the last repatriation operation was carried out this Monday, when the crew of the Coast Guard cutter Charles Sexton returned to the Island 106 Cubans who had been intercepted off the Florida Keys during the last week.
The federal agency highlights that all migrants who are intercepted both on land and at sea receive food, water, shelter and basic medical care.
Coast Guard authorities have warned on different occasions about the risks involved in sea crossings through the Florida Strait.
“The weather in the Caribbean Sea is unpredictable. It can turn any leisurely ride deadly in an instant,” said Lt. Cmdr. Mario Gil, Coast Guard District Seven liaison officer.
As of fiscal year 2017, the number of Cuban migrants repatriated by the US Coast Guard did not exceed 2,000: 1,468 in 2017; 259 in 2018; 313 in 2019; 49 in 2020; and 838 in 2021.
This Monday, a group of 25 Cuban migrantsin which seven children were found, arrived in Key West, according to the United States Border Patrol (USBP).
The report indicates that the Cubans were intercepted by US agents shortly after making landfall aboard a wooden fishing boat labeled Rio Azul.
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