The United States Coast Guard repatriated 14 Cubans who had been intercepted a week earlier in a rustic vessel near the Bahamas, and a fifteenth person had to be evacuated for medical attention.
The repatriation was carried out by the crew of the coast guard vessel William Flores, the Coast Guard reported this Thursday.
The group was located on September 3, about 13 miles west of Elbow Cay, in the Bahamas, after an aircraft from the Air and Marine Operations of the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detected the vessel and alerted the Key West Sector.
The Coast Guard deployed the cutter Pablo Valent and a boat from the Marathon Station. Their crews found 15 Cubans on board and transferred them for processing.
One of those individuals was later evacuated to shore to receive specialized medical attention, while the other 14 were transferred to the William Flores and returned to Cuba.
The Coast Guard did not provide details about the identity or health status of the evacuated person.
Lieutenant Commander Jon Girot, liaison officer of the Coast Guard and attaché of the Department of Homeland Security at the United States Embassy in Havana, warned about the dangers of trying to reach the country by sea.
"Cubans should not risk their lives trying to illegally enter the United States by sea," he stated.
Girot also stated that U.S. authorities maintain a strong presence in the region by coordinating various agencies to detect vessels attempting to undertake these crossings.
The operation is part of Operation Vigilant Sentry, the U.S. inter-agency initiative that maintains air, land, and maritime resources deployed in the Straits of Florida, the Windward Passage, the Mona Passage, and the Caribbean to curb irregular maritime migration.
U.S. authorities reiterated that individuals intercepted at sea are processed for repatriation to their country of origin or departure and warned that attempting to arrive by these routes may have immigration consequences.
The repatriations of Cubans continue
Repatriation occurs amidst operations to return Cubans to the island. By August, 882 Cubans had been repatriated or deported in 31 operations conducted from various countries during 2026, according to data from the Cuban Ministry of the Interior.
Only from the United States, 740 Cubans were deported during the first half of the year in 25 operations, according to figures released by Cuban authorities.
In June, the Coast Guard repatriated another 27 Cubans who were rescued in the Yucatan Channel after the vessel they were on began to sink.
Related videos:
Filed under: