MIAMI – The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Diligence repatriated 182 people to Haiti, Wednesday, following an interdiction south of Turks and Caicos Islands.
A forward deployed Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircrew notified Coast Guard District Seven watchstanders of a disabled migrant vessel, Saturday, at approximately 7:15 p.m., about 57 miles south of Turks and Caicos Islands. District Seven watchstanders diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Paul Clark crew to interdict the vessel.
"Hurricane season is an especially dangerous time for unlawful maritime migration," said Lt. Nicholas Fujimoto, a Coast Guard District Seven enforcement officer. "The Coast Guard is proactively monitoring the maritime approaches to the U.S. 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."
Migrants who are interdicted at sea or apprehended ashore will not be allowed to stay in the United States or a U.S. 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 U.S. law, policies and international treaty obligations.
“Anyone wanting to enter the United States must do so through safe, orderly and lawful pathways; don’t take to the sea,” said Lt. Cmdr. John W. Beal, public information officer for Homeland Security Task Force-Southeast. “There are consequences for unlawful entry into the United States. Anyone attempting to enter the U.S. 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 U.S. with a minimum five-year bar on admission, and potential criminal prosecution for unlawful reentry.”
Since Oct. 1, 2023, the Coast Guard has repatriated a total of 507 migrants to Haiti.
The Coast Guard, 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 HSTF-SE 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.
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