MIAMI – The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Paul Clark repatriated 26 migrants to Cuba, Friday, following an interdiction of an unlawful migrant venture near the Florida Keys.
The interdiction occurred Tuesday morning when a boat crew from Coast Guard Station Islamorada spotted the migrant rustic in the vicinity of Crocker Reef. Station crews arrived on scene and safely embarked the 26 migrants before transferring them to the Coast Guard Cutter Seneca.
“The Coast Guard and our HSTF-SE partners remain in an enhanced posture and maintain a continuous presence in the Windward Passage, Mona Passage, and Florida Straits,” said Lt. Cmdr. Tanner Stiehl, Coast Guard Seventh District Staff Attorney. “Repeated unlawful attempts to emigrate to the U.S. are subject to prosecution in addition to ineligibility for legal migration pathways."
The Coast Guard and its Homeland Security Task Force - Southeast partners will continue to be a presence in the air and on the waters to detect and deter migrants from attempting to unlawfully enter the U.S. by sea.
Once aboard a Coast Guard cutter, all migrants receive food, water, shelter, and basic medical attention.
For more information, follow these links to Department of Homeland Security fact sheets:
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