U.S. Coast Guard repatriates 17 Cuban rafters intercepted near the Florida Keys.

U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) agents intercepted 17 Cuban rafters at sea, near the Florida Keys, and returned them to Cuba on Thursday.

In a brief statement on the social network X, the USCG reported that the 17 Cubans were intercepted 24 miles south of the Marquesas Keys during "an attempt at illegal maritime migration" that was detected by an air crew from that agency.

The Ministry of the Interior (MININT) of Cuba indicated on the same platform that the group of repatriated migrants on July 25 consisted of 11 men, three women, and three minors—aged seven, 10, and 16—who "had participated in an illegal departure from the country."

The note from the Cuban authorities did not specify when or from where on the island the rafters set out, nor any other details.

The migratory flow of Cubans to the United States, whether by sea or land, shows no signs of coming to an end.

In just June of last year, 17,563 Cubans entered through the borders of the U.S., according to data published by the Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Of that total, 6,216 arrived by sea, which confirms that the influx of Cuban rafters to the North American country continues.

The U.S. government continues to insist that all individuals who attempt to enter the country illegally by sea will not be allowed to remain, will be processed according to U.S. laws and policies, and will be returned to their country of origin or to the country from which they departed.

Migrants who arrive by sea and are detained by the Border Patrol after touching U.S. soil are processed to be returned to their country of origin by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), with a five-year ban on legally reentering that country.

Despite the authorities' attempts to dissuade Cuban rafters, illegal maritime migration remains an option for those who desperately want to leave the country and have no other way to do so.

The crisis in Cuba continues to generate a massive and irregular exodus from the island to the United States, despite the efforts of the Biden administration to channel this flow through legal means such as humanitarian parole. From January 2023, when this initiative was approved, until the end of June of the current year, 106,757 Cubans benefited from the program.