This content was posted on January 25, 2023 – 1:10 AM January 25, 2023 – 1:10 AM
Havana, 24 January (EFE).- The governments of Mexico and the United States on Tuesday returned 159 irregular migrants to Cuba as part of the migration agreements signed with these countries, the island’s Interior Ministry (Minint) reported.
A group of 94 migrants – composed of 35 women, 44 men and 15 minors – who left Cuba irregularly, traveled through Central America and the Caribbean and later embarked on a route to Mexico to reach the southern border of the United States. , adds the statement.
His return to the island marks the first operation to repatriate illegal Cuban migrants from Mexican territory.
Another group of 55 men and 10 women who were leaving Cuba illegally by sea were intercepted at sea by the United States Coast Guard (SGC) and taken to the western port of Orozco in Artemisa province.
Most of these migrants are Cubans living in the provinces of Artemisa, Matanzas and .
Two of the returned individuals are being investigated for “allegedly committing serious crimes that were investigated before they were involved in these illegal exits,” the government agency said in a statement.
He also pointed out that with these two most recent operations, there are 16 that have brought back 1,643 irregular migrants in 2023 from the US, Mexico, the Bahamas and the Cayman Islands.
The Cuban authorities reiterate that they maintain their commitment “to regular, safe and orderly migration” and insist on “the dangerous and life-threatening conditions that constitute illegal exits from the country by sea” and the “irresponsibility” of including minors .
Earlier this year, the US government introduced a policy to take in 30,000 migrants a month from Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba and Nicaragua.
In parallel, it will immediately expel migrants from these countries who attempt to enter Mexico irregularly into its territory.
For its part, Mexico has agreed to accept 30,000 migrants a month who are being deported from US territory.
The Washington government has recently seen a record number of migrants on its southern border attempting to cross the border irregularly, largely motivated by a new unprecedented migratory exodus from Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. EFE
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