The US Coast Guard repatriates seven Cuban rafters intercepted off the Florida Keys

Seven Cuban rafters were repatriated this Tuesday after being intercepted by US Coast Guard crews in two operations off the Florida Keys.

One of the boats was sinking when it was detected by the US Coast Guard, according to a brief statement published on the social network X.

The crew of the USCG cutter Paul Clark repatriated 7 migrants to Cuba on Tuesday, after two separate interceptions of illegal maritime migration in front of the Florida Keys. A migrant vessel was sinking when the crews arrived at the scene," the agency said.

Faced with the unstoppable wave of immigrants from Cuba trying to reach U.S. soil, the northern country's border agencies continue to act to control and reduce irregular migration by sea, as well as trying to preserve the lives of those who undertake the dangerous crossing of the Florida Straits, most of the time in precarious vessels.

The U.S. government has insisted that all individuals who attempt or arrive illegally by sea will not be able to stay in the country, will be processed in accordance with U.S. laws and policies, and returned to their country of origin or departure.

In line with this, throughout 2024, the USA has deported by air an unspecified number of rafters who have reached land in South Florida, out of a total of 714 Cuban immigrants returned to the island in 15 flights.

Last May, 18,988 Cubans entered the United States through its borders, according to the monthly data published by the Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Of them, 7,491 did so by sea.

The desperation caused by deficiencies and lack of opportunities in Cuba, due to the systemic crisis affecting the country and its population, has led many Cubans, especially young people, to leave the island in recent years.

Despite the risks, one of the ways used by Cubans continues to be the maritime crossing, in which thousands of people have lost their lives during more than six decades of socialist regime in Cuba.

Recently, one of the fateful shipwrecks that occurred in the waters of the Florida Strait has once again received media attention: the one on November 16, 2022, when at least 16 people, including several children, drowned when the boat they were traveling in capsized, 30 miles off the Cuban coast.

Last week, U.S. authorities detained and charged a Cuban resident in Florida with human trafficking, related to the smuggling operation that resulted in the death of those migrants in 2022. Yaquelin Domínguez Nieves, 25, is awaiting trial and, if found guilty, could face a sentence of life imprisonment or even the death penalty.