CBP BORDER PATROL MARINE UNITS PATROL THE WATERWAYS OF THE US BORDERS.
AGUADILLA, Puerto Rico, Friday November 6, 2015 – Almost two dozen immigrants from Haiti and the Dominican Republic have been caught trying to get into Puerto Rico.
The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Border Patrol, Air Interdiction Agents and Puerto Rico Police officers apprehended the 20 undocumented migrants as they disembarked their 25-foot yola (an unsafe vessel, generally underpowered with a single outboard motor, and overloaded with a large number of passengers) near the coastal town of Aguada.
“Migrants continue to put their lives at unnecessary risk by navigating through the Mona Passage not knowing the multiple hazards within the area,” said Ramiro Cerrillo, Ramey Sector Chief Patrol Agent.
“We reiterate our warning of the perils of making such a dangerous journey.”
The Puerto Police Department Maritime Unit (FURA) and CBP Air and Marine Operations were deployed to intercept the vessel and arrested four Haitian males, 12 Dominican males, three Dominican females, and a Dominican boy.
The group was transported to the Ramey Border Patrol Station for processing under federal immigration law.
CBP said that it maintains “a robust posture” regarding the enforcement of immigration laws along US borders and coastal areas.