More than 500 Cuban migrants have been returned to the island so far in 2024

More than 500 Cuban migrants have been returned to Cuba so far in 2024, after a flight arrived from the Bahamas on Friday, with 26 rafters from different provinces such as Villa Clara, Sancti Spiritus and Ciego de Avila.

according to a report From the Ministry of the Interior (Minit) “andOn Friday, Bahamian authorities returned to Cuba 26 irregular migrants (21 men and five women) residing in the provinces of Villa Clara, Sancti Spiritus and Ciego de Avila. There are 34 returnees from various countries in the region, amounting to 505 people in 2024.”

So far this year, a total of 34 repatriation operations have been carried out, reinforcing the upward trend in this type of procedure. The majority of these returnees come from the United States, a country that last week alone handed over three groups of illegal immigrants to the Cuban authorities.

Two of these groups were intercepted on the high seas by naval forces North American Coast GuardWhile the third arrived by air to the island. Many of these returning Cuban rafters have pending accounts with the Cuban justice system and end up in prison after violating parole or being sought in a pending case.

Cuba: Return of more than 500 Cuban immigrants

In recent months, among these Cuban migrants who have returned to the island, numbering more than 500, there have been cases of despair, which we have echoed in our pages. This is the case of an entire family that was deported to Cuba despite having I-220A documents. The family arrived in the United States in November 2021 and their asylum application was rejected.

However, they were allowed to remain on probation while awaiting their hearing in immigration court.

A misunderstanding about scheduling an ICE interview led to the family’s deportation. The family’s lawyer filed a request to reopen the case, but it was rejected. The appeal is pending before the Board of Immigration Appeals.

They are now asking Cuba to conduct an immediate review of their case and request a return to the United States.