Mexican authorities have repatriated 91 undocumented Cuban migrants to their country, the first to be returned after the United States eliminated the "wet foot, dry foot" policy that allowed any Cubans reaching U.S. soil to claim residency.

The 91 Cubans were found in an illegal status on Mexican territory, according to a release by the National Institute of Migration (INM) on Friday.

Those illegal Cuban migrants, 71 men and 20 women, were sent to Havana Friday morning on a police plane leaving from the airport of Tapachula, in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas. Cuban authorities had previously agreed to receive them.

Passed in 1995, the "wet foot, dry foot" policy allowed any Cubans touching U.S. soil to access permanent residency in the country, while any Cubans caught at sea between their country and the United States were sent back.

The law was eliminated earlier this month by then U.S. President Barack Obama as part of the normalization of diplomatic ties between Havana and Washington.

source: Xinhua