A Cuban among the 32 rafters rescued at sea by the Colombian Navy

In a nighttime operation, the Colombian Navy rescued 32 irregular migrants who were heading in makeshift boats towards countries in Central America. Among the group of rafters is a Cuban.

The Specific Command of San Andrés and Providencia intercepted two vessels flying Nicaraguan flags in the southeastern region of the San Andrés archipelago. The Coast Guard Station deployed a maritime interdiction operation to stop them.

Navy Captain Carlos Urbano, Chief of Staff of the Specific Command of San Andrés and Providencia, reported that among the migrants there were 16 Venezuelans, five Indians, four Colombians, two Haitians, one Cuban, one Ecuadorian, one Nepali, and one Jordanian.

After the rescue, it was verified that the boats lacked the basic safety elements necessary to safeguard human life at sea.

The migrants were taken to the pier of the San Andrés Coast Guard Station, where their health was evaluated, and they were made available to immigration authorities. Minors are placed under the custody of the Colombian Family Welfare Institute.

The four crew members of the boats were captured and are in custody of the Attorney General's Office of the Nation for the alleged crime of migrant trafficking.

The presence of a Cuban among the rescued reflects the desperation of the island's citizens, who are seeking to escape an unsustainable situation marked by scarcity of food, medicine, and lack of freedoms.