SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Coast Guard Cutters Heriberto Hernandez and Richard Dixon repatriated 91 migrants to the Dominican Republic between Wednesday and Friday, following two separate interdictions of irregular, unlawful migration voyages in Mona Passage waters near Puerto Rico.
The first interdiction occurred early Tuesday morning, after a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Caribbean Air and Marine Branch aircrew notified Coast Guard Sector San Juan watchstanders of a 20-foot suspected migrant vessel sighting west of Rincon, Puerto Rico. The crews of Coast Guard Cutters Heriberto Hernandez and Richard Dixon, and a Station San Juan boat crew interdicted the suspect vessel. Following the interdiction, the crew of cutter Heriberto Hernandez embarked 53 migrants of which 48 claimed to be Dominican Republic nationals and five claimed to be Haitian.
The second interdiction occurred Wednesday morning, when two U.S. Customs and Border Protection Caribbean Air and Marine Branch surface units interdicted a 25-foot migrant vessel just off Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico Joint Forces of Rapid Action marine units also arrived on-scene. Following the interdiction, the Coast Guard Cutter Heriberto Hernandez crew arrived and embarked 39 migrants from the CBP boat crews.
“These interdictions highlight the strength and collective resolve between our local and federal law enforcement partnerships to stop unlawful migration events in our area of responsibility,” said Cmdr. Matthew Romano, Sector San Juan chief of response. “These voyages continuously threaten the lives of the migrants who embark unseaworthy and grossly overloaded makeshift vessels to transit the Mona Passage. We urge those thinking of taking part in one of these voyages to not take to the sea at risk to your life, and instead seek safe, orderly and lawful migration pathways.”
Migrants who are interdicted at sea or apprehended ashore will not be allowed to stay in the United States or a U.S. territory. Furthermore, anyone who arrives unlawfully may be declared ineligible for legal immigration parole options and be repatriated to their country of origin or returned to the country of departure.
The Coast Guard, along with its Homeland Security Task Force – Southeast partners, maintains a continual presence with air, land, and sea assets in the Florida Straits, the Windward Passage, the Mona Passage, and the Caribbean Sea in support of Operation Vigilant Sentry. The HSTF-SE combined, multi-layered approach is designed to protect the safety of life at sea while preventing unlawful maritime entry to the United States and its territories.
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