Coast Guard repatriates 73 Cuban migrants

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Posted: Tue 4:58 PM, Jun 21, 2016

MIAMI (Coast Guard Press Release) - The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Charles Sexton repatriated 73 Cuban migrants to Bahia de Cabañas, Cuba, Tuesday.

These repatriations are a result of four 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.

"Safety of life at sea continues to be the Coast Guard's primary concern," said Capt. Mark Gordon, chief of enforcement for the Coast Guard 7th District. "Illegal migrants aboard overloaded and unseaworthy vessels are putting their lives at extreme risk of injury and death. 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 4,643 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 Charles Sexton 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.

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