The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Raymond Evans repatriated 28 Cuban migrants to Bahia de Cabañas, Cuba, Thursday.
These repatriations are a result of two separate migrant interdictions at sea within the last week in the south Florida Straits. In each instance, the Coast Guard helped secure the U.S. border and prevented these perilous sea voyages from ending in tragedy.
“Migrants attempting to illegally enter the United States by boat often travel aboard dangerously overloaded and ill-equipped vessels," said Cmdr. Timothy Cronin, deputy chief of enforcement for the Coast Guard 7th District. "People aboard these vessels are putting their lives at extreme risk. The Coast Guard with our partner agencies will continue to patrol vigilantly to rescue and repatriate undocumented migrants who take to the sea."
Once aboard a Coast Guard cutter, all migrants receive food, water, shelter and basic medical attention.
Since Oct. 1, at least 4,514 Cubans have attempted to illegally migrate to the U.S. via the maritime environment compared to 4,473 in fiscal year 2015. These statistics represent the total number of at-sea interdictions, landings and disruptions in the Florida Straits, the Caribbean and Atlantic.
For more information on how to legally immigrate to the U.S., call U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) at 1-800-375-5283 or visit the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov.
The Coast Guard Cutter Raymond Evans is a 154-foot fast response cutter homeported out of Key West, Florida.
These repatriations did not include the group of Cuban migrants interdicted at the American Shoal Light on May 20, 2016.