The U.S. Coast Guard on Tuesday captured dozens of migrants crammed into “makeshift” boats near Puerto Rico to make the perilous journey to the United States.
The 30-foot-long white ship with “J5” painted on the side was picked up about 47 nautical miles southwest of Puerto Rico’s Mona Island, with 51 desperate migrants and suspected smugglers on board, officials said. Announced.
The 51 migrants are from the Dominican Republic, and the suspected smuggler, who the Coast Guard also identifies as an immigrant, is from Haiti, according to a Coast Guard press release.
The Dominican migrants were repatriated to their home country by a Dominican Navy ship, but the Haitians remain in U.S. custody and face federal charges under the Alien Smuggling Act.
60 migrants rescued from makeshift boat sailing near Dominican Republic, coast guard says
The Coast Guard on Tuesday captured dozens of migrants crammed into “makeshift” boats near Puerto Rico on the perilous journey to the United States. (US Coast Guard)
Officials said that on Saturday night, members aboard a Coast Guard aircraft, an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft, spotted a “makeshift vessel participating in an illegal maritime migration voyage.” Puerto Rico is approximately 1,000 miles from the Florida Keys in southern Florida.
The crew of the Coast Guard cutter Joseph Tezanos then responded to intercept the suspicious vessel.
DHS warns illegal Haitian immigrants arriving by boat of ‘immediate deportation’
The shaky boat used by smugglers and 51 migrants to reach the US (Coast Guard)
“The success of this interdiction was due to the quick response and professionalism of the Coast Guard units and observers involved,” said Lt. Cmdr. San Juan District Executive Director Edward Kunigonis said.
“These voyages continue to threaten the safety of migrants, many of whom do not fully understand how dangerous these voyages truly are until it is too late. We strongly advise anyone thinking of participating to avoid going to sea and use legal channels.”
The Coast Guard did not release the age or gender of the arrested migrants.
The Coast Guard said migrants intercepted at sea or apprehended on land will not be allowed to remain in the United States or its territories.
“In addition, those who enter the country illegally may be declared ineligible for legal immigration parole and may be returned to their country of origin or returned to the country from which their voyage departed,” the statement said. ing.
The Coast Guard and Homeland Security Task Force protect air, land and sea assets in the Florida Strait, Windward Strait, Mona Strait and the Caribbean Sea, the Coast Guard said.
The vessel was picked up approximately 47 nautical miles southwest of Mona Island, Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico is approximately 1,600 miles from the Florida Keys in southern Florida. (Google Maps)
From October 1 to April 30, the Coast Guard intercepted 35 different groups of migrants in the Mona Strait and waters near Puerto Rico.
The group consisted of 1,199 non-Americans, including 1,141 from the Dominican Republic, 57 from Haiti, and 1 from Venezuela.
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Last month, a Carnival cruise ship rescued 27 Cuban nationals who were found adrift about 20 miles west of Cuba and pleading for help.
Meanwhile, in March, law enforcement arrested 20 illegal immigrants, including women and children, aboard a large fishing boat off the coast of Florida.
