MIAMI, United States (CMC) — The United States Coast Guard says crew members aboard the Coast Guard Cutter William Trump repatriated 15 Cuban migrants to Bahia de Cabañas, Cuba, Saturday.

The US Coast Guard said the aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Miami observed a migrant rustic Wednesday while on patrol about 65 miles south-east of Dry Tortugas, Florida.

Watch-standers at Coast Guard Sector Key West “diverted the cutter William Trump crew who arrived on scene, interdicted and safely embarked the migrants”, the Coast Guard said.

“Illegal migrant ventures at sea are both risky and dangerous,” said Cmdr Willie Carmichael, deputy chief of enforcement for the Coast Guard 7th District. “The Coast Guard and its partner agencies will continue to maintain a constant presence to stop and prevent illegal migration, and do everything we can to rescue those who put themselves at risk aboard unseaworthy rafts before they end tragically.”

The Coast Guard said about 31 Cuban migrants have attempted to illegally migrate to the US via the maritime environment since the beginning of the 2018 fiscal year, which started October 1, compared to 1,934 Cuban migrants in fiscal year 2017.

These numbers represent the total number of at-sea interdictions, landings and disruptions in the Florida Straits, the Caribbean and the Atlantic.