These people endangered their lives by going to sea in rustic means that do not have the most elementary conditions of navigation or maritime safety; in some cases with about 31 or 23 individuals on board a single device, without means of rescue or warning in case of emergency, and some had even participated in the theft of a Lista Quinta boat, linked to the Sport Fishing Base of Santa Cruz del Norte, in Mayabeque.
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In the initial investigations of these cases, it was found that four of the departures had taken place from Artemisa, and one each from Havana, Mayabeque, Matanzas, and Villa Clara.
With these 82 people, a total of 313 have been returned by U.S. authorities so far this year, in accordance with the migratory agreement in force between the two countries.
"U.S. Coast Guard returns #U.S. Coast Guard. 82 illegal migrants."
The Cuban government has insisted on the need for strict compliance with the Cuba-U.S. Joint Declaration on migration issues, dated January 12, 2017, which initialed the bilateral commitment to prevent irregular migration and to prevent risky departures from Cuba that endanger human life, to fight against acts of violence related to such migration, to discourage illicit acts linked to irregular migration resolutely and to promote effective bilateral cooperation to prevent and prosecute human trafficking and associated crimes.
In correspondence with the letter of that agreement, Cuba has reiterated and defended regular, safe, and orderly migration and that the U.S. side complies with the commitment to guarantee legal migration from Cuba with a minimum of 20 thousand people per year.