The United States Coast Guard repatriated 182 migrants to Haiti on Wednesday following an interdiction south of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The US Coast Guard said last weekend, watch standers were notified of a “disabled migrant vessel” south of the Turks and Caicos Islands.
District Seven watch standers diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Paul Clark crew to interdict the vessel, the US Coast Guard said.
“Hurricane season is an especially dangerous time for unlawful maritime migration,” said Lieutenant Nicholas Fujimoto, a Coast Guard District Seven enforcement officer. “The Coast Guard is proactively monitoring the maritime approaches to the US and international waters of the Caribbean to prevent the tragic loss of life at sea.
“Makeshift vessels are unseaworthy and incapable of handling the rougher seas caused by unpredictable weather and tropical storms,” he added.
The US Coast Guard said migrants who are interdicted at sea or apprehended ashore will not be allowed to stay in the United States or a US territory.
“Anyone who arrives unlawfully may be declared ineligible for legal immigration options and be repatriated to their country of origin or returned to their country of departure, consistent with US law, policies and international treaty obligations.”
Lieutenant Commander John W Beal, the public information officer for Homeland Security Task Force-Southeast, which oversees the US Coast Guard, said: “Anyone wanting to enter the United States must do so through safe, orderly and lawful pathways; don’t take to the sea.
“There are consequences for unlawful entry into the United States,” he warned. “Anyone attempting to enter the US unlawfully by sea may be disqualified from lawful parole processes, presumed ineligible for asylum and, if unable to establish a lawful basis to remain, they are subject to removal from the US with a minimum five-year bar on admission, and potential criminal prosecution for unlawful re-entry.”
Since October 1, 2023, the US Coast Guard said it has repatriated a total of 507 migrants to Haiti.
The US Coast Guard said that 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 US Coast Guard added that the “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.”
