The crew of the Cutter Margaret Norvell of the United States Coast Guard repatriated six Cuban migrants to Cuba on Thursday, after intercepting them in waters southeast of Plantation Key in the Florida Keys.
According to the official statement, released this Friday, it all began on Monday when a citizen alerted the Key West Sector of the Coast Guard about a vessel with six people on board waving their arms for help, approximately 17 nautical miles southeast of Plantation Key.
In response to the call, the Islamorada Station dispatched a boat, the Cutter Lawrence Lawson was diverted to the area, and an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft from the Miami Air Station and marine units from the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) also responded.
The crews located a wooden boat measuring just 12 feet, painted green and white, identified in the official photographs as "María Alejandro," with registration number 107 and the inscription "VC 5553 I."
The six occupants were accounted for without any needing medical attention, and they were transferred to the Cutter Margaret Norvell for processing and identification as Cuban nationals.
“Our mission is to protect lives at sea while preventing irregular maritime migration”, stated Second Class Petty Officer Isaiah Edenfield, helmsman of the Islamorada Station. “Each interdiction demonstrates our commitment to safeguarding our maritime borders and the security of those we encounter.”
The operation was carried out under the framework of Operation Vigilant Sentry, an interagency initiative that maintains air, maritime, and land presence in the Florida Strait and the Caribbean to curb irregular entry into U.S. territory.
This case adds to a series of documented interdictions throughout 2026. In June, the Coast Guard repatriated 27 Cubans rescued in the Yucatán Channel whose vessel was about to sink. In September, returned 14 out of 15 rafters intercepted near the Bahamas, and in October repatriated another six following two operations in the Florida Strait.
Maritime interdictions occur in the context of a drastic decline in irregular Cuban migration. According to data from CBP, the fiscal year 2026 closed with only 1,762 encounters with Cubans in its first 11 months, compared to more than 217,000 recorded in fiscal year 2024.
In parallel with the maritime repatriations, the U.S. has intensified direct deportations to Cuba: by August 2026, the Cuban regime had received 882 migrants in 31 return operations, including 740 deported from U.S. soil during the first half of the year.
From the beginning of the fiscal year 2026 until mid-May, the Coast Guard had intercepted 5,321 Cubans at sea, a figure that reflects the ongoing maritime migration flow despite the overall decrease recorded in border crossings.
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