The migrants join 37 others who were rescued last January by the U.S. Coast Guard.

14ymedio, Havana, June 13, 2025 — Since last Tuesday, a group of 20 Cuban balseros [rafters] have been in custody in the Bahamas and are awaiting deportation. The migrants, in their attempt to reach the United States, were stranded on the uninhabited island of Cayo Anguilla and rescued by the crew of the US Coast Guard ship Margaret Norvell.
According to a statement, agents of the National Security Investigations in Miami were informed of the situation and sent a US HC-144 Ocean Sentry turboprop aircraft, which “dropped food, water and a radio for communications.”
According to Univision journalist Javier Díaz, “several women and children” are among the Cubans. The deportation process in the Bahamas, he said, can take months. “Previously other migrants have been imprisoned in the country for more than six months,” so he recommended that family members “be patient with this return.”
The most recent case is that of 37 Cubans who were rescued last January after being stranded on the islands of Cal Sal Bank and Cayo Anguila. The deportation process for these persons has not yet been finalized.
US Coast Guard Lieutenant Fernando Pla warned the balseros with a now-familiar statement that “anyone who attempts to enter the United States illegally by sea will be intercepted and repatriated to their country of origin.”
Pla emphasized that they constantly patrol the maritime approaches to the Florida Strait, Windward Passage, Mona Pass and the Caribbean Sea in support of Operation Watchman Sentry.
According to official figures, since the beginning of fiscal year 2025 on October 1, Coast Guard crews have returned 103 migrants to Cuba.
The route of emigration by sea is one of the most dangerous for Cubans. The Missing Migrants Program of the International Organization for Migration reported in August last year that at least 291 people disappeared during their crossing. Of that number, 142 were from the Island.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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