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The United States Coast Guard (USCG) reported this Friday on the repatriation of six Cuban migrants who had been intercepted at sea during a "maritime interdiction" operation.
According to information released by the United States Coast Guard Southeast on the social network X, the boaters were apprehended “64 kilometers south of Cuba”, as they were attempting to leave the country by sea.
The operation was carried out by the crew of the cutter William Trump, one of the vessels regularly used for patrol missions in the Caribbean.
In its publication, the USCG emphasized the preventive nature of such actions and noted that “partners continue to patrol the Caribbean and beyond, deterring illegal migration and protecting the maritime borders of the United States.”
The message included a direct mention of the Embassy of Cuba in the United States, in line with the coordination protocols between the two countries for this type of repatriation.
The information was confirmed hours later by Cuba's Ministry of the Interior (MININT), which also used the social media platform X to announce the return of the migrants.
According to the official statement, "by the morning of this Friday, the return of 6 migrants intercepted at sea after making an illegal exit from #Cuba through that route is scheduled at the port of Orozco, Bahía Honda, Artemisa, bringing the total to 1669 in 2025."
So far, neither party has provided additional details about the exact date the interdiction took place, nor about the specific circumstances in which the rafters were detected at sea.
It has not been reported whether the migrants were traveling in a makeshift boat, a common practice among those trying to cross the Florida Straits, nor their place of origin on the island.
U.S. authorities have reiterated on multiple occasions that individuals intercepted at sea are not eligible to enter or remain in the United States, and that, according to current immigration policy, they are returned to their country of origin or transferred to the authorities of the country where they are located.
Drop in the number of balseros since Trump's rise to power
The number of Cuban rafters repatriated by the U.S. Coast Guard since President Donald Trump took office in January 2025 reflects a nearly complete halt to maritime migration from the island, especially when compared to the peaks recorded in previous years.
This decline has coincided with the tightening of immigration policies implemented by the current administration, which has strengthened border controls and interdiction operations at sea.
However, the structural causes of Cuban migration remain unchanged.
The economic crisis, characterized by a shortage of essential goods, the ineffectiveness of basic services, persistent inflation, as well as repression, a lack of freedoms, and increasing social insecurity, continues to drive thousands of people to seek to leave the country.
What has changed, warn analysts and observers of the migration phenomenon, is that the routes to the United States have become increasingly inaccessible and perilous, both by sea and by land.
In that context, episodes such as the repatriation of these six rafters highlight once again the clash between the desperation of those trying to escape the island and an increasingly restrictive migration environment.
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