U.S. Deports 116 Irregular Cuban Migrants to Havana, MININT Says

A repatriation flight arrived at José Martí International Airport in Havana on Feb. 19, returning 116 irregular Cuban migrants, made up of 88 men and 28 women, the Cuban Ministry of the Interior (MININT) reported on its Facebook page. MININT said the operation was "carried out in compliance with bilateral migration agreements" and provided an aggregate figure of 302 individuals "returned to Cuba from the U.S. in the first two months of 2026."

Detailed counts for confirmed U.S.-to-Cuba flights show two operations so far in 2026: a Feb. 9 flight with 170 migrants and the Feb. 19 flight with 116 migrants, a combined total of 286. That tally leaves a 16-person gap between the flight-by-flight total (286) and MININT's reported 302, an inconsistency both Cuban outlets flagged and which remains unexplained in MININT's brief posting.

Cubaheadlines, citing the Cuban news service CNS, recorded an additional small repatriation event: "CNS also reported that nine Cubans were repatriated to Havana on Friday, February 13, bringing the total number of migrants returned from that territory to 13 for the year 2026, with another 23 still in custody." That CNS detail, as presented by Cubaheadlines, suggests there are returns and custody cases outside the two confirmed U.S. flights, but the phrase "that territory" is not clarified in the available report.

The recent 2026 movements sit atop a larger series of removals in late 2025. Flight operations reported in November and December 2025 included 232 deportees on Nov. 6, 139 on Nov. 20, and 128 on Dec. 18 (the Dec. 18 breakdown listed 106 men, 21 women, and a minor), three flights that together total 499 deportations. En Cibercuba noted that after the Dec. 18 operation the "official total under the current U.S. administration rose to 4,883 Cuban migrants deported across 12 flights coordinated with Havana."

Both Cuban outlets described MININT's Facebook note as "brief and ambiguous" and pointed out that the ministry did not explicitly say all 302 returns were deportations directly from the United States; the reporting raised the possibility that some of the 302 could include returns from third countries or maritime interceptions that occurred between the Feb. 9 and Feb. 19 flights.

Key outstanding questions remain: MININT should provide the full Facebook post and a breakdown of the 302 figure by origin and date; U.S. agencies (DHS, ICE, CBP) should confirm flight dates and passenger counts for Feb. 9 and Feb. 19 and disclose any removals via third countries in January–February 2026; CNS/Cubaheadlines should clarify what "that territory" refers to in the Feb. 13 note and the status of the "another 23 still in custody" reference; and regionally active NGOs or IOM/UN agencies should report any interceptions or returns that would explain the 16-person discrepancy.