The Coast Guard intercepted a boat overloaded with 99 illegal Haitian migrants yesterday, just 35 miles off the coast of Cap-Haitien, Haiti. The migrants were taken aboard a Coast Guard cutter, and then provided food, water, shelter, and basic medical attention. Afterwards, they were sent back to Haiti.
The Coast Guard has stepped up its patrols of the Florida Straits and the Windward and Mona Passages to intercept unlawful migration attempts before they reach US shores. They have stopped and returned 412 Haitians so far this fiscal year.
A Coast Guard liaison officer at the US embassy in Port-au-Prince issued this warning to Haitians considering similar attempts:
Attempting illegal migration in overloaded, unsafe vessels with no safety equipment is extremely dangerous and puts you and your loved one’s lives at risk. Don’t take to the sea just to be sent back
For more, see the NY Post.