The U.S. repatriates 32 rafters to Cuba intercepted near Cayo Marathon.

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) repatriated 32 Cuban rafters this Wednesday after intercepting their vessel near Marathon in the Florida Keys.

In a statement released on its website, the U.S. Coast Guard reported that last Friday, around 2 p.m., the crew of the HC-144 Ocean Sentry from the USCG Air Station in Miami notified the watchers at the Key West Sector of the same agency about a boat with migrants, approximately 41 miles southeast of Long Key.

Photos published by the USCG on the social network X show a small motorboat, built with zinc sheets and named El Guerrero, in which the Cubans apparently made the crossing.

According to the official statement, crews from the law enforcement vessels of the Islamorada Station intercepted the boat of the Cuban migrants and transferred them to the patrol boat Charles David Jr. for their repatriation.

"Anyone attempting to migrate illegally by sea will be intercepted and returned to their country of origin," said Lieutenant Commander Cheri-Ann Thompson of Coast Guard District 7. "These journeys are not only illegal but also incredibly dangerous. No one should risk their life on unsafe makeshift boats in unpredictable seas."

Once aboard a Coast Guard vessel, migrants are processed to determine their identity and are provided with food, water, shelter, and basic medical care before being repatriated to their country of origin or returned to the country they left, the USCG statement indicated.

Likewise, the Ministry of the Interior of Cuba reported on the social network X about the return of about thirty Cuban rafters on the morning of this Wednesday, which raised the number of irregular migrants returned to the island to 899 in 56 return operations from countries in the region during 2024.

Cuban authorities did not specify in their note the composition of the group of repatriated migrants, nor when and from where they left the island.

A week ago, the repatriation of 17 rafters from the U.S. was reported - 11 men, three women, and three minors aged seven, 10, and 16 years - whose vessel was intercepted 24 miles south of the Marquesas Keys, Florida.

"The Coast Guard and its Southeast National Security Task Force, along with federal, state, and local partners, will continue to patrol by land, air, and sea to rescue and repatriate anyone attempting to illegally enter the U.S. by sea," emphasized the border authorities of the North American country.

This Tuesday, agents from the Border Patrol (USBP) and associated agencies apprehended 33 rafters from Cuba who landed in Key West.

The harsh living conditions, lack of freedoms, and absence of opportunities in Cuba continue to generate a massive and irregular exodus of citizens from the island to the United States, both by sea and by land.

Only in 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) Office. Of that total, 6,216 arrived by sea, confirming that the influx of Cuban rafters to the North American country continues.