The U.S. repatriates 41 Cuban rafters, including five migrants who spent seven days adrift.

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) repatriated 41 Cuban migrants this Friday, following several at-sea detentions as part of Operation Vigilant Sentry.

The interdictions began when an aerial team from the Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations notified Coast Guard watchstanders in the Key West Sector about a migrant vessel on August 16, located approximately 39 miles south of Key West, according to a statement from the agency.

On Monday, another report indicated that a vessel was located eight miles southeast of Port Everglades; and on Tuesday, another aerial team from Customs and Border Protection alerted about a migrant vessel approximately 58 miles south of Marathon.

The USCG warned that "it works day and night to disrupt and intercept attempts at illegal migration like these," and reiterated that migrants detained at sea will be repatriated.

Lieutenant Jesús Martínez Borges, compliance officer of the Seventh District of the Coast Guard, explained that they work in cooperation with partners from HSTF-SE, such as Customs and Border Protection, to enhance their capabilities to detect and deter migrants from the deadly risks of illegal maritime migration.

This Friday, it was reported that a vessel found on Monday in Port Everglades was occupied by five Cuban immigrants who had spent seven days adrift at sea.

Upon their arrival, the five Cubans were treated by medical services due to their state of dehydration and exhaustion, common symptoms in people who have been exposed to the harshness of the sea for extended periods.

Despite the warnings and the risk of deportation, attempts by Cubans to reach the United States or Mexico by sea continue in the context of the Cuban migration crisis.