The U.S. Coast Guard shipped 101 illegal immigrants en route for the U.S. back to the Dominican Republic.
In a press release on the issue, the Coast Guard stated that it intercepted three vessels with people attempting “unlawful, irregular migration.” One of the three encounters happened Sunday night when the Coast Guard spotted a “grossly overloaded makeshift vessel in the Mona Passage” northwest of Puerto Rico.
A tugboat captain radioed the Coast Guard warning the U.S. that a group of migrant stowaways were on board a tow barge. There were 11 migrants found, 10 from the Dominican Republic and one from Haiti.
Illegal immigrants from the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Venezuela have in the past often taken to poorly designed rafts in an attempt to illegally enter the U.S.
Coast Guard Commander Gerard Wenk issued a warning to migrants who attempt to cross by sea.
“The Coast Guard works daily with our local, federal, and Dominican Republic Navy partners in our shared and unwavering resolve to stop unlawful maritime migration voyages in the Mona Passage,” Wenk said. “These voyages are extremely dangerous since they most often take place aboard grossly overloaded vessels that are unseaworthy and continuously take on water. These conditions, along with unpredictable weather patterns in the Mona Passage, could cause a vessel to capsize without notice resulting in loss of life.”
“Don’t take to the sea,” Wenk cautioned.
The U.S. Coast Guard said it has picked up just shy of 1,000 migrants in the Mona Passage, the area between Puerto Rico and the US, between Oct. 1, 2023 and March 30, 2024. 890 of those passengers came from the Dominican Republic, 41 from Haiti, and one from Venezuela.
The move comes amid a surge in illegal immigration at the U.S. southern border, threatening the lives and safety of the migrants, first responders, and border state residents.
