Related videos:
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) rescued two groups of Cuban migrants between Thursday and Friday who were stranded at Cay Sal Bank and Anguilla Cay, islands that belong to the Bahamas.
This Sunday, the crew of the patrol vessel William Flores transported the 37 migrants to Bahamian territory, after completing both rescue operations.
The first alert was recorded on Thursday, when a crew from the Coast Guard's Miami auxiliary air station notified the watchers in the Key West sector about a group of people on Cay Sal Bank waving their arms in distress.
The next day, on January 10, the HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft reported another group of stranded migrants in Anguilla Cay, according to a statement from the Coast Guard.
During this second incident, migrants were provided with water, food, and a radio to establish communication while the rescue was organized.
At the request of the Bahamian authorities, the crew of the Coast Guard vessel Northland responded to both locations to pick up the migrants, prioritizing safety due to the risks of remaining in open waters.
Once aboard the Coast Guard vessel, the migrants received food, water, shelter, and basic medical care before being processed for their repatriation to the Bahamas.
Lieutenant Connor Pascale, liaison officer for the Coast Guard in the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, explained that the Coast Guard's mission in the region is to save lives and deter dangerous voyages in unseaworthy vessels.
"These illegal migration journeys put the lives of individuals and their loved ones at risk," Pascale noted.
These operations are part of the efforts of the Coast Guard and the Southeast National Security Task Force to patrol key areas such as the Florida Straits, the Windward Passage, and the Mona Passage, ensuring maritime security and preventing illegal entry by sea into the United States and its territories.
Deportations of Cubans from the Bahamas
On January 4th, the authorities of the Bahamas conducted the first operation to return irregular Cuban migrants of 2025, repatriating 19 citizens (16 men and three women) via the José Martí International Airport in Havana.
The information was confirmed by the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) of Cuba in a social media post.
The deported migrants primarily came from the province of Ciego de Ávila, although returns were also reported from other regions, such as Mayabeque and various central provinces of the country.
The operation marked the beginning of the repatriations of this year, continuing the practice of returning irregular migrants that has been common in recent years amid the unprecedented migration crisis facing the island since 2021.
In 2024, a total of 93 repatriation operations of migrants were registered from various countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, with a total of 1,384 Cubans returned to the island, according to data from MININT.
Filed under: