USCG Assists With Recovery of Hijacked Cuban Vessel & Repatriation of Crew

The United States intercepted a stolen boat carrying four Cuban illegal immigrants and has returned it and the crew to Cuba. Two Cuban security guards named Manuel Ramirez and Eduardo Puig, stationed at the nautical base of Tarara on the outskirts of Havana, together with another two Cuban nationals, stole the boat in an attempt to reach U.S. territory. An ongoing investigation shows the men “used force and caused damage to resources and facilities,” according to an official note. It also said the return of the boat and crew was based on the existing migration agreements between the two countries and the result of information exchange between the Border Guard Troops of Cuba and the Coast Guard of the United States. Cuba has accused the United States for decades of promoting the illegal immigration due to the Cuban Adjustment Act, which gives preferential treatment to the Cubans who land on the U.S. shores. According to a 1995 agreement, Washington promised to repatriate Cuban illegal immigrants it intercepts at sea, while issuing about 20,000 visas for legal immigrants annually.

Cuba has no formal diplomatic ties with the United States, but Cuba’s local Border Troops and the U.S. Coast Guard exchange information to fight against drugs and human trafficking.

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