U.S. Coast Guard rescues seven Cuban boaters stranded on a cay in the Bahamas

The United States Coast Guard (USCG) rescued seven Cuban migrants on Thursday who were stranded at Anguilla Cay, Bahamas, while trying to reach the shores of Florida in a small and precarious boat.

Authorities reported that the Cuban immigrants were found on an uninhabited islet southeast of Cay Salt Bank and were transported by a Coast Guard vessel to the Bahamas.

The government agency did not provide further details regarding the circumstances of the rescue nor any information about the composition of the group, which is now in the custody of the Bahamian authorities.

The USCG warned in its post on the social media platform X that this is “an attempt at illegal maritime migration” and urged to “always use legal immigration pathways.”

Historically, Anguilla Cay and its surroundings have recorded shipwrecks, stops, and rescues of Cubans stranded there on their journey to the shores of Florida. It consists of a group of uninhabited islets, marshy and covered with brush and palm trees, located in the Cay Sal Bank area, about 30 miles north of central Cuba's coast.

Anguilla Cay belongs to the Bahamas, which is why the U.S. Coast Guard transfers Cuban migrants there instead of processing them for deportation back to Cuba.

In the last two weeks, U.S. Coast Guard officials transferred migrants to the Bahamas after intercepting several attempts at irregular migration.

The U.S. government reiterated its firm stance on immigration laws at the end of November. A message on the social media accounts of the Washington Embassy in Havana, directed at those attempting to enter the country illegally, warned that individuals who cross illegally between ports of entry will be swiftly expelled.

In those days, a group of 24 Cuban migrants, including one woman, were returned to the island on the twentieth deportation flight since the Biden administration resumed them in April 2023.

However, despite the restrictions, deportations, and dangers involved in the crossings, Cubans continue to take to the sea or cross land borders in search of reaching and settling in the U.S.

The recent shipwreck of a vessel that set out from the island at the end of November resulted in the deaths of several young Cubans. Four of them, residents of the municipality of Niquero in Granma province, have been identified.

The news portal elToque reported days earlier about a shipwreck that allegedly resulted in the death of 24 Cuban migrants following a collision between a speedboat and a vessel. The identities of only two of the deceased have been disclosed.

However, it has not been clarified whether it is the same shipwreck or two different events, amidst the unstoppable migration of Cubans to the U.S., the largest in history.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Irregular Migration of Cubans and the Intervention of the U.S. Coast Guard.