SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Doyle repatriated 51 migrants to San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, Tuesday, following the interdiction of a makeshift vessel in Mona Passage waters off Puerto Rico, Saturday.
This interdiction is part of the efforts of the Homeland Security Task Force San Juan Region to combat human smuggling and deter unlawful maritime migration.
Coast Guard Sector San Juan watchstanders scrambled assets to intercept an overloaded makeshift vessel after a Customs and Border Protection aircrew spotted a suspect grossly overloaded makeshift boat off Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, Saturday. Watchstanders quickly diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Doyle to interdict the vessel and launched an MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Borinquen to provide search and rescue support.
Shortly after, cutter Joseph Doyle intercepted the vessel and the crew safely boarded 51 migrants, including 34 Dominican nationals (30 men, two women, and two minors) and 17 Haitian nationals (15 men and two women). The adults were transferred to Dominican Republic Navy authorities, while the two minors were placed in the care of CONANI (the National Council for Children and Adolescents).
“This successful interdiction highlights the seamless interoperability between our cutters, CBP air and maritime crews, and our federal and local law enforcement partners within Homeland Security Task Force San Juan,” said Cmdr. Matthew Pinhey, Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Doyle commanding officer. “It also reflects our strong collaboration with the Dominican Republic Navy to stop dangerous, unlawful migration in the Mona Passage. These maritime ventures are inherently dangerous, often subjecting families to unseaworthy, grossly overloaded vessels with zero lifesaving equipment. Our shared priority remains protecting life at sea and securing our nation's maritime borders from this threat.”
Anyone caught participating unlawful migration voyage could face potential prosecution or immediate repatriation to their country of origin or departure.
This interdiction is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
HSTF San Juan comprises agents and officers from the following federal partners: FBI, ICE-HSI, CBP (OFO, AMO and Border Patrol), the U.S. Marshals Service for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, DEA, ATF, IRS, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Department of State, and the U.S. Secret Service, the Puerto Rico/U.S. Virgin Islands HIDTA, TSA, FAA, and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Districts of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The HSTF also has the following state and local law enforcement partners as participating agencies: the Puerto Rico Police Department; the San Juan, Carolina, Guaynabo, Barceloneta, and Ponce Municipal Police Departments, the Puerto Rico National Guard – Counter Drug Program; the Puerto Rico Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; the Puerto Rico Internal Revenue Service (Hacienda); the Puerto Rico Port Authority; and the Virgin Islands Police Department.
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