The United States Coast Guard rescued twelve male Caribbean nationals from a capsized vessel last week.
The Coast Guard said the rescue occurred Monday after its Cutter Joseph Doyle’s crew interdicted an unlawful, irregular maritime migration voyage in Mona Passage waters near Puerto Rico.
A Coast Guard air crew had earlier spotted the suspect vessel.
According to a Coast Guard release, Joseph Doyle’s crew repatriated 11 of the migrants who claimed to be Dominican Republic nationals, to a Dominican Republic Navy vessel just off Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Wednesday afternoon.
Before the repatriation, the Coast Guard crew reported that while intercepting the vessel with the illegal migrants, the crew observed packages being jettisoned from the suspect vessel shortly before capsizing.
” Following the rescue, cutter Joseph Doyle crewmembers discovered three holes in the suspect vessel’s hull which appeared to have been unplugged to scuttle,” the Coast Guard release stated.
Since Oct. 1, 2023, through Jan. 31, 2024, the Coast Guard carried out 24 unlawful irregular migration voyage interdictions in the Mona Passage and waters near Puerto Rico.
Interdicted during the period were 780 non-U.S. citizens, including 742 Dominicans, 37 Haitians and one Venezuelan.
