MIAMI – The U.S. Coast Guard repatriated dozens of migrants to Cuba on Sunday.
A total of 50 people were brought back to the island nation following five interdictions off the Florida coast last week, officials said.
One vessel arrived on Monday, two more on Wednesday, one on Thursday and one on Friday.
Since Oct. 1 of last year, Coast Guard crews have interdicted 5,456 Cubans, the most in one fiscal year since 2016 when 5,396 were interdicted.
That number is much higher than has been seen in recent years.
In the 2021 fiscal year, 838 Cuban migrants were interdicted by the Coast Guard. In 2020 that number was only 49, and in 2019 the total was 313.