Coast Guard Interdicts 50 Haitian Migrants 46 Miles North of Cap-Haïtien

MIAMI — The Coast Guard interdicted 50 migrants May 21 about 46 miles north of Cap-Haïtien, Haiti, the Coast Guard 7th District said in a release.

At about 5:35 p.m. May 21, the Coast Guard Robert Yered (WPC-1104) crew detected an overloaded 30-foot panga vessel and launched a small-boat crew to investigate. The crew then boarded the vessel and discovered 36 Haitian males and 14 Haitian females.

The Robert Yered crew safely embarked the migrants and sank the vessel to prevent a hazard to navigation. The Coast Guard Cutter Vigilant (WMEC-617) crew transferred the 50 Haitian migrants back to their country of origin.

“Bottom line is these voyages put lives at unnecessary risk,” said Capt. Jason Ryan, Coast Guard 7th District chief of enforcement. “These voyages often involve ill-advised agreements with smugglers on poorly equipped, makeshift vessels that are prone to capsizing, leading to loss of life.”

Approximately 2,474 Haitian migrants have attempted to illegally enter the U.S. via the maritime environment since May 20 in fiscal year 2019 compared to 2,727 Haitian migrants in fiscal year 2018. These numbers represent the total number of at-sea interdictions, landings and disruptions in the Florida Straits, the Caribbean and Atlantic.

Once aboard a Coast Guard cutter, all migrants receive food, water, shelter and basic medical attention. The Robert Yered is a 154-foot Sentinel-class cutter homeported in Miami, Florida. The Vigilant is a 210-foot medium endurance cutter homeported in Port Canaveral, Florida.