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A total of 117 Cuban migrants were deported from the United States on a flight that arrived this Thursday at José Martí International Airport in Havana.
According to information published on the official profile of the Ministry of Interior (MININT) on Facebook, the group consisted of 89 men and 28 women.
The authorities of the regime indicated that the flight was carried out as part of the existing migration agreements between both countries, and that three of those returned were transferred to investigative bodies due to their alleged involvement in criminal activities prior to leaving the country.
With this operation, a total of 427 Cuban migrants have been deported to the Island in 2026 so far, through nine flights from various countries in the region.
The MININT reiterated its call for travel to be conducted in a regular, safe, and orderly manner, and warned about the risks associated with irregular migration.
The first deportation flight of 2026 took place on February 9, when 170 Cuban migrants were sent from the United States to the island, according to the Ministry of the Interior through its official channels.
This flight was notable for being the first that —according to information from the U.S. government— included individuals with convictions for serious crimes such as murder, rape, kidnapping, and drug trafficking.
Subsequently, on February 19, a second flight took place with 116 deported Cuban migrants, raising the total to 286 in these two initial operations.
On Thursday, March 19, a new flight transported 117 Cuban migrants back to the island, bringing the total number of deportations from the United States in 2026 to 403, according to confirmed data in official reports.
In this case, the MININT report confirms that three of the deportees "were transferred to investigative bodies due to their alleged involvement in criminal activities before leaving the country," although the nature and severity of the crimes are not specified.
If it concerns serious crimes, it would be the second flight this year – and in all of history – with this type of case included.
However, authorities have reported that the total number of people returned to Cuba so far in 2026 has reached 427 across nine operations from various countries, indicating that a portion of these cases corresponds to returns from other countries in the region that have not been publicly detailed.
Migration closure of 2025 in numbers
In December 2025, on the 18th, 128 migrants were deported (106 men, 21 women, and one minor).
Previously, on November 20, there was a flight with 139 deportees, and on November 6, another flight with 232, which was the largest operation since the resumption of flights by ICE in 2023.
Those three flights alone account for 499 deportations.
After the flight on December 18, the official total under the current U.S. administration rose to 4,883 deported Cuban migrants across 12 flights coordinated with Havana.
Additionally, the December statement indicated that the return of another six migrants intercepted at sea was planned, which would raise the annual total for 2025 to 1,669; however, at that time it was not officially confirmed whether that return took place, leaving those six cases pending public verification.
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