SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The crew of Coast Guard Cutters Joseph Doyle and Joseph Napier returned 58 migrants to the Dominican Republic between Saturday and Monday, following the interdictions of an irregular, unlawful maritime migration voyage in Mona Passage waters near Puerto Rico.
The cutter Joseph Doyle crew returned 56 migrants to a Dominican Republic Navy vessel, Saturday, while the cutter Joseph Napier crew repatriated two remaining migrants from the group to a Dominican Republic Navy vessel, Monday, just off Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
The interdiction occurred Wednesday evening, when the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Doyle sighted a grossly overloaded makeshift vessel in Mona Passage waters east of Mona Island, Puerto Rico. The cutter crew embarked all 58 migrants consisting of 42 men and seven women who claimed to be Dominican Republic nationals, seven men and one woman who claimed to be Haitian nationals, and one man who claimed to be a Venezuelan national.
“Human smuggling in the Mona Passage is a dangerous and inadvisable venture,” said Lt. Cmdr. David S. Radin, Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Doyle commanding officer. “Smugglers will be identified and prosecuted and trafficked migrants will be repatriated to their country or returned to the country from which the voyage originated. To those considering undertaking one of these voyages, don’t! Instead, seek safe 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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