A joint operation by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) has resulted in the interception of a sailing vessel carrying more than 200 illegal Haitian migrants in the Caribbean Sea.
The vessel was spotted by a CBP Air and Marine Operations (AMO) aircrew on April 6, 2023, as it was heading to the United States from an undisclosed location. The aircrew alerted the USCG, which dispatched two cutters and a helicopter to intercept the vessel. The USCG crews found the vessel severely overloaded and in poor condition, posing a serious risk to the safety of the migrants onboard. The migrants were transferred to the USCG cutters and provided with food, water, and medical attention.
Coast Guard interceptions of Haitian migrants have exploded recently, as you can see from the following official counts on the past few years:
- 7,175 Haitian Migrants in Fiscal Year 2022
- 1,527 Haitian Migrants in Fiscal Year 2021
- 418 Haitian Migrants in Fiscal Year 2020
- 932 Haitian Migrants in Fiscal Year 2019
- 609 Haitian Migrants in Fiscal Year 2018
- 419 Haitian Migrants in Fiscal Year 2017
The USCG is working with the Haitian government to coordinate the repatriation of the migrants to Haiti. The CBP and USCG continue to monitor and patrol the Caribbean region to prevent illegal migration and smuggling activities.
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