The United States authorities confirmed that this Thursday, December 28, the ninth deportation flight organized by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) took place.
According to an official statement shared by the US Embassy in Havana, the flight returned 31 people back to the Greater Antilles. The flight arrived at the ‘José Martí’ International Airport in the capital.
Finally, the diplomatic headquarters urged the citizens of the Island not to risk their lives trying to reach the United States illegally, recommending instead to opt for the legal and safe routes offered by Joe Bien’s administration.
“Last Thursday, December 28, a deportation flight from the United States arrived in Havana. The flight returned 31 Cuban citizens to the island who tried to enter the United States without authorization. Don’t put your safety or that of your family at risk. Safe and legal travel”, reads this publication.
Last Thursday, December 28, a deportation flight from the United States arrived in Havana. The flight returned 31 Cuban citizens to the island who tried to enter the United States without authorization. Don’t put your safety or that of your family at risk. Journey… pic.twitter.com/IdH2i5fYSE
— United States Embassy in Cuba (@USEmbCuba) December 29, 2023
This is the ninth flight that the US has organized since April, when air deportation operations were resumed after the COVID-19 pandemic.
During that time, 417 people who were in the United States illegally have been returned, and while this number seems high, the truth is that it should be much higher, but repatriation flights usually leave the United States with very few passengers.
The largest flights that have been carried out so far were two with 123 passengers each, while the rest usually take off from Florida with between 60 and 30 people on board.
The last flight to be executed was carried out on November 30, which left Florida with 37 Cubans on board. Many of these West Indians had been detained after attending a routine appointment at the ICE offices.
New measures to control migration
The ninth deportation flight took place a day after authorities from Mexico and the United States met in Aztec territory to discuss issues related to the current immigration crisis that affects both countries.
The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, indicated during a press conference that one of the main agreements reached during said meeting was the reopening of border crossings shared between the two countries.
As part of this commitment, the Mexican government resumed the mobilization of migrants from the north of its territory to the southern region, this to clear the border with the United States. For its part, the Biden administration will open the border bridges to be able to move cargo and make way for hundreds of Mexicans who work legally in North American territory.
