MIAMI, May 25, CMC – The United States Coast Guard has repatriated five Cuban migrants who were rescued by a commercial vessel in the Yucatan Passage and later transferred to Coast Guard custody.
According to the Coast Guard, the crew of a merchant ship notified watchstanders at Coast Guard District Seven on Wednesday that they had rescued five Cuban nationals from an unsafe vessel.
On Saturday, the crew of the USCG Cutter Isaac Mayo met the merchant ship at sea to assume custody of the migrants.
“Don’t take to the sea and risk your life just to be repatriated and denied future lawful entry to the US,” warned Lieutenant Cameron Box, an enforcement officer with the Seventh Coast Guard District. “The Coast Guard and our federal, state and local partners continuously patrol the maritime approaches to the United States to detect and deter illegal maritime migration.”
Petty Officer First Class Diana Sherbs, public affairs spokesperson for the district, noted that commercial vessels often assist distressed mariners and work with the Coast Guard to transfer them at sea.
“In the case of alien ventures, whether they are transferred to the Coast Guard at sea or to customs and immigration authorities ashore at their next port of call, they are processed to determine their identity and legal status,” she said. “If they do not have a legal basis to enter or remain in the US, they are processed for removal or repatriation to their country of origin or departure.”
So far in fiscal year 2025, which began on October 1, 2024, the Coast Guard has repatriated 103 migrants to Cuba. This compares to 749 repatriations in fiscal year 2024 and 6,618 in fiscal year 2023.
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