21.   Cubas said he planned to ask Bahamian officials not to repatriate the defectors.

22.   Don MacKay, the California-based owner of the Explorer, says Ecuadorian and Bahamian officials supervised and approved both projects.

23.   Separately, he is slated to meet with Bahamian officials, who also have said they planned to raise their concerns about Haitian migration.

24.   Rose said Bahamian officials then asked the Coast Guard for assistance after discovering the vessel was overloaded.

25.   Separately, Powell is slated to meet with Bahamian officials, who have said they planned to raise concerns about Haitian migration.

26.   Sports agent Joe Cubas said he planned to ask Bahamian officials not to repatriate them.

27.   The Coast Guard discovered the group Sunday on a deserted Bahamas island, and turned them over to Bahamian officials.

28.   The deportations started this month after Bahamian officials visited Havana, where they apparently agreed that any Cubans who made it to their shores would be returned home.

29.   Tuesday night, the detainees were interviewed by U.S. officials including Ambassador Sidney Williams, Bahamian officials said without elaborating on the meeting.