The massive exodus that has affected Cuba for months continues, with almost 3,000 people being repatriated back to the island from different countries after being discovered migrating irregularly to the United States.
According to the official Cuban News Agencythe Ministry of the Interior (Minint) has reported 48 repatriation operations since the beginning of 2023, during which 2,830 Cuban citizens have been returned from countries such as the US, Mexico, the Cayman Islands and the Bahamas.
The Minint points out that the last of these operations took place this weekend, when authorities from the Bahamas took 32 Antilleans to the José Martí International Airport in Havana.
The Castro authorities detailed that the group was made up of 29 men, two women and a minor of only 10 years of age, who left the island as a rafter. Additionally, one person was taken into custody for having committed serious crimes outside the Island.
“The communication specifies that one of these people was transferred to the investigative bodies, for being the alleged perpetrator of serious criminal acts, which were being investigated before getting involved in the illegal exit,” says the official media.
The newspaper stressed how dangerous it was to try to leave the country by sea, especially if minors were involved in these illegal trips.
However, what they did not mention is that the economic crisis that has plagued Cuba for years has made it almost impossible to maintain a dignified life within the country, forcing many to try to leave the island in search of a better future, even if they must risk their lives to do so.
Rafters intercepted by the US
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) managed to intercept 6,182 Cuban rafters during the previous fiscal year, a number that constitutes a new record for West Indians detained at sea.
However, the record could be broken for the second consecutive year, since, since the current fiscal period began on October 1, 2022, the USCG has detained more than 5,700 rafters, and while there are still some 500 to exceed the mark, It is important to remember that there are still six months left to change the fiscal year.
