The United States Coast Guard repatriated twenty-seven Cuban nationals on Monday following a maritime interdiction in the Yucatán channel.
Watchstanders at sector key west were initially alerted to an unlit vessel taking on water with no fuel or drinking water on board and at severe risk of sinking.
Crews from the United States Coast Guard Cutter Raymond Evans detected the vessel before a boarding team secured the migrants and transferred them to the Cutter Winslow Griesser for processing.
The passengers were provided with food water shelter and basic medical care in accordance with standard maritime interdiction procedures.
Coast guard liaison officials warned that sea migration on overcrowded or unsafe vessels poses severe life threatening risks noting that enforcement params will maintain a constant maritime presence to prevent illegal crossings.