On Sunday, the US Coast Guard intercepted a vessel with 179 Haitian migrants approximately 30 miles off Andros, in The Bahamas.
According to a US Coast Guard news release, the occupants were transferred to the Royal Bahamas Defence Force. “An Air Station Clearwater C-130 airplane crew spotted the overloaded vessel at approximately 11:00 p.m. and reported the vessel to the nearby cutters and command center watchstanders,” the release stated.
The authorities did not report the group’s health status of Haitian migrants or whether they included women and children. They only noted that once they boarded the Coast Guard vessel, “all migrants received food, water, shelter, and medical assistance.”
Lt. Vladimir Jimenez, law enforcement duty officer of the Seventh Coast Guard District command center, added that the Coast Guard and partner agencies continue to patrol in the air and on the water to deter these types of “unsafe voyages.” “The probability of a successful migration voyage is low, and when these voyages are stopped, people should expect to be returned to their country of origin.”
Last January, the US Coast Guard intercepted another boat near the Florida Keys carrying 176 Haitians, ten of whom had to be taken to hospital with symptoms of dehydration.
The US Coast Guard has noted that since October 1, 2021, Coast Guard crews have rescued 993 Haitians compared to 1,527 Haitian migrants in the fiscal year 2021; 418 Haitian migrants in the fiscal year 2020; 932 Haitian migrants in the fiscal year 2019; 609 Haitian migrants in the fiscal year 2018; and 419 Haitian migrants in the fiscal year 2017.
