WASHINGTON, (Reuters) -- The United States returned on Sunday a
                  Cuban patrol boat used by four members of the Communist-run
                  Caribbean island's coast guard to defect, the U.S. State Department said.

                  Cuba had earlier demanded the United States send back the boat and the crew, who slipped
                  into the Florida resort town of Key West on Friday, docking their vessel at a hotel marina at and
                  turning themselves into police.

                  It was not immediately clear whether the men, who had handguns and rifles when they
                  reached Florida, remained in the United States. But, under a provision for migrants, Cubans
                  who make it to U.S. soil are usually allowed to stay and are released into the community within
                  days.

                  The boat's return contrasted with the last such incident when a state-owned plane used by
                  defectors was kept.

                  State Department spokesman Lou Fintor said several federal agencies, including the State
                  Department, the Justice Department and the Coast Guard coordinated Sunday's return.

                  He had no comment on the status of the crew, referring inquiries about the men to the
                  Immigration and Naturalization Service where spokesmen could not immediately be reached.

                  A U.S. Border Patrol spokesman, Keith Roberts, said on Friday they were being transferred to
                  Miami for questioning.

                  Cuba's National Assembly President Ricardo Alarcon linked the incident to the U.S. fight against
                  terrorism. he told reporters on Sunday the men entered the United States undete cted and
                  failure to return them would signal Washington was not serious about protecting its borders.

                  Since President Fidel Castro took power in 1959, thousands of Cubans have left for the United
                  States without the proper papers, most in flimsy vessels or brought by smugglers. But some
                  have left on government-owned vessels or planes.

                  In the last such incident, defectors flew a state-owned crop duster the roughly 90 miles (140
                  km) to Key West in November. Eventually the aircraft was sold under court orders to help pay a
                  $27 million judgment against Havana in the case of the ex-wife of a Cuban spy who had sued
                  for civil damages.

                  The defectors were allowed to stay in the United States.