A 35-foot, overcrowded boat carrying 99 Haitian migrants was intercepted while attempting to reach U.S. shores, the U.S. Coast Guard announced. The migrants were provided with food, water, shelter, and medical care before being sent back to Haiti on Tuesday.
A Risky Voyage Ends in Interception
The rickety vessel, spotted about 35 miles off Cap-Haitien, was dangerously overloaded, with migrants spilling over the sides. Lt. Cmdr. Brent Pearson, Coast Guard liaison officer to the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince, warned of the dangers of such voyages.
“Attempting illegal migration in overloaded, unsafe vessels with no safety equipment is extremely dangerous and puts you and your loved ones at risk. Don’t take to the sea just to be sent back,” Pearson said in a statement.
Tighter Patrols and Immigration Crackdown
The boat was seen heading north toward the Turks and Caicos Islands, but was intercepted before reaching U.S. waters. Coast Guard cutters, helicopters, and aircraft have ramped up patrols in the Florida Straits, Windward Passage, and Mona Passage, in line with President Trump’s intensified stance on illegal immigration.
Hundreds of Haitians Sent Back
So far this fiscal year, 412 Haitian migrants have been returned home—nearly half of last year’s total of 857, according to officials. The federal fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30.
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