According to official figures shared by the Cuban Ministry of the Interior (Minint), a total of 5,253 Cuban citizens were returned by neighboring nations during 2023, revealing the migration crisis that is being experienced on the Island with the mass exodus of people. .
These Cubans were detained by the authorities of countries such as the United States, Mexico, the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands after being discovered illegally within their territory.
These deportations were carried out through air and sea operations, the latter being the most used by the US when returning Cuban rafters intercepted by the Coast Guard.
While the majority of Cubans deported by the US were detained on the high seas, hundreds of these were returned by air after having entered US territory, through deportation flights.
In total, the US has carried out nine of these air operations since they resumed last April, having returned 417 Cubans during 2023.
For its part, Mexico also resumed its deportation flights to Cuba in 2023, after several months suspended. In total, the Aztec nation returned 435 people back to the Greater Antilles aboard five flights carried out by the airline Viva Aerobus.
However, the government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador suspended international deportations during the last months of the year, due to the fact that the National Migration Institute (INM) ran out of funds to carry out the flights.
Although the figure of 5,253 Cubans sounds impressive, the truth is that it is nothing compared to the Cuban citizens who emigrated from Cuba during the year, who have managed to enter foreign territories irregularly.
The US deported more than 140,000 migrants in fiscal year 2023
During fiscal year 2023, which began on October 1, 2022 and ended on September 30, 2023, the United States intensified its immigration policies, deporting 142,580 undocumented migrants back to their respective countries.
This number almost doubles the 72,177 that were recorded during the previous fiscal period, which was due to changes made after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite this increase in the number of deportations, the situation at the border continues to be critical, as thousands of people arrive in northern Mexico with the intention of requesting asylum in North American territory.
