On Tuesday, November 26, a group of 24 irregular Cuban migrants, including a woman, were deported from the United States, arriving at José Martí International Airport, as reported on X by the Ministry of the Interior (MININT). Just a day earlier, the U.S. Coast Guard had returned another four individuals to Orozco port in Bahía Honda, Artemisa.
With these two operations, the total number of deportations from various countries in the region has reached 87 so far this year. The figures provided by MININT refer to the calendar year (January to December), contrasting with the fiscal year used for U.S. data, which starts on October 1.
In total, 1,255 individuals have been sent back to the island, thwarting their migration aspirations. The previous group of deportees, consisting of 34 migrants (31 men and three women), arrived in Cuba on October 31. This was the first deportation flight conducted by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for the fiscal year 2025. After a suspension in December 2020, deportation flights between the U.S. and Cuba resumed in April 2023, following negotiations to address the migration crisis.
Escalating Deportation Numbers
With the October operation, the Biden administration had deported a total of 912 Cubans in 19 flights, according to ICE data collected by Café Fuerte. After today's flight, the number of Cubans deported from the United States since last April has climbed to 936, returned across 20 flights.
In September, a flight from the United States brought 62 Cuban migrants (seven women and 55 men) to Havana. In August, the Cuban government received 48 deported Cubans (43 men and five women) on a flight from the U.S.
Recent Deportation Flights
The most recent deportation flight from U.S. soil occurred on July 18, when 54 irregular migrants, including 40 men and 14 women, were sent back to Cuba. Before that, on June 20, another group of 56 individuals (12 women and 44 men) was returned to Cuba by air from the U.S.
The numbers indicate that this Tuesday's group was the smallest deported in the last four months. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to carry out mass deportations starting January 20, when he takes office. However, various immigration attorneys have noted that Cubans are unlikely to be the primary targets of these potential deportations, as they benefit from significant legal protections under the Cuban Adjustment Act.