Havana/The United States Coast Guard reported this Friday on the repatriation of six Cuban rafters intercepted at sea during an operation carried out about 64 kilometers south of the Island.
As specified by the institution in its account X officialthe operation was carried out by the ship’s crew William Trump. Hours later, the Cuban Government confirmed the return of the group through a publication in the Ministry of the Interior in X.
According to the Ministry, the return was scheduled for this Friday morning through the port of Orozco, in Bahía Honda, province of Artemisa. With this group, the number of migrants returned by sea so far in 2025 amounts to 1,669.
The return of the rafters was scheduled for this Friday morning
US authorities have reiterated on several occasions that migrants intercepted at sea cannot enter or remain in the United States and that, in accordance with current immigration policy, they are returned to their country of origin.
The decrease in the migratory flow by sea from the Island coincides with the tightening of the immigration measures applied since January 2025, after the return of Donald Trump to the presidency. This shift has been accompanied by a reinforcement of border controls and operations in the Caribbean, which has significantly reduced the possibilities of irregular departure by sea and has increased surveillance on routes traditionally used by migrants.
The immigration policy towards Cuban rafters changed significantly years before, on January 12, 2017, when then-President Barack Obama ended the immigration policy. “dry feet/wet feet”. With that decision, the preferential treatment that for years allowed Cubans who entered U.S. territory irregularly to access automatic immigration benefits was eliminated.
Immigration policy towards Cuban rafters changed significantly in 2017
Despite the increasingly harsh complications and restrictions to emigrate, residents on the Island continue to try. In mid-October, a group of 22 Cuban migrants was rescued by fishermen in the municipality of Celestún, in the state Yucatan Mexicanafter being adrift at sea for several days. The rafters had left Cuba in a craft-built boat and intended to reach the Mexican coast, but during the journey they ran out of food and water.
After being helped, the migrants were taken to the mainland, where they received basic medical care and support from residents of the area, while civil and religious organizations began to accompany them in their efforts before the Mexican immigration authorities.
