Puerto Rico repatriates 63 Dominican and Haitian migrants intercepted on a yola in the Mona Channel

The Puerto Rico Coast Guard reported this Tuesday that it repatriated 63 migrants to the Dominican Republic after intercepting the precarious vessel they were traveling on in the waters of the Mona Channel, off Puerto Rico's west coast. The crew of the cutter Winslow Griesser turned those detained over to two Dominican Navy vessels.

According to the Coast Guard statement, the boat was about 30 feet long, heavily overloaded and sailing in precarious conditions. Among the 66 migrants intercepted, 55 men and four women said they were Dominican citizens, while six men and one woman identified themselves as Haitians. The other three migrants remain in federal custody, subject to further investigation and charges for attempted illegal reentry into the United States.

The vessel was spotted by a Coast Guard aircraft about 70 nautical miles (130 kilometers) northwest of the coastal municipality of Aguadilla and was later intercepted by the Winslow Griesser.

The operation comes weeks after a tragedy on the same route: in late September, a boat carrying 64 migrants capsized near Puerto Rico's Mona Island after a fight broke out on board and several people were wounded with a machete. The Coast Guard rescued 49 people and recovered the bodies of three Dominicans; a dozen migrants remain missing.

In connection with that case, three Dominican citizens were charged in early October in Puerto Rico for their alleged role in the maritime human smuggling operation.

Photo: Despierta El Sur

Source: Despierta El Sur.