The US Coast Guard reported this Thursday that it returned to the Dominican Republic 39 Haitians and two Dominicans who were detained on last Tuesday after trying to reach Puerto Rico illegally.
The re-entry of the illegal group took place yesterday, Wednesday, the Coast Guard said in a press release.
The arrest occurred last Tuesday near Rincón, a municipality on the northwest coast of Puerto Rico, the federal agency indicated.
As explained by the Coast Guard, a crew of the Marine Forces of the Office of Customs and Border Protection (CBP, in English) carried out a routine surveillance, when they spotted a vessel approximately ten nautical miles from Rincón.
After the sighting, CBP alerted the Coast Guard to try to arrive with the group.
When the officers arrived the Coast Guard to the suspicious ship, they observed that the occupants Before, they removed water from it, preventing it from capsizing.
However, the federal agents managed to board 41 people, 27 Dominicans and 14 Haitians, who were traveling on the suspicious ship.
The Coast Guard handed over the group to the Navy of the Dominican Republic.
One of the intervened Dominicans, however, was left in Puerto Rico while he faces charges for trying to illegally re-enter US territory.
The interdiction is part of ongoing efforts in support of Operation Unified Resolve, Operation Guard of the Caribbean and the Caribbean Border Inter-Agency Group (CBIG, in English).
The CBIG was formally created to unify the efforts of US agencies in Puerto Rico, together with local security forces , in their common goal of protecting the coasts of Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands from immigration and drug trafficking.
From October 1, 2021 to 28 February of this year, the Coast Guard and the CBIG have carried out 41 illegal interdictions in the Mona Passage and Caribbean waters near Puerto Rico.
During this period, the authorities have detained 1.088 people, 798 Dominicans, 253 Haitians, 36 Venezuelans and an Ecuadorian.
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