The United States Coast Guard repatriated 56 illegal Caribbean migrants to the Dominican Republic Monday after intercepting them at sea.
According to the Coast Guard, 55 migrants claimed to be Dominican Republic nationals, and one claimed to be Haitian.
They were in a makeshift vessel in Mona Passage waters off the west coast of Puerto Rico.
The cutter Winslow Griesser crew transferred all 56 migrants to a Dominican Republic Navy vessel just off the coast of Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, for repatriation.
A Customs and Border Protection aircraft initially spotted the illegal migrants aboard their ‘grossly overcrowded’ 30-foot makeshift vessel.
Since October 1, 2022, through May 31, 2023, the Coast Guard has interdicted 46 migrant vessels in the Mona Passage and waters near Puerto Rico.
The interdictions involved 1,473 non-U.S. citizens.
The number included 1,209 Dominicans, 242 Haitians, 13 Venezuelans, seven Kazakhs, one Albanian, one Colombian, and one other of unknown nationality.
