A United States Coast Guard cutter on patrol
The United States Coast Guard says it has rescued 151 Haitian migrants and handed them over to the Royal Baham Defence Force on Friday.
“The transfer is a combination of two separate interdiction cases in which coast guard aircrews and cutter crews located and rescued these migrants,” the US Coast Guard said.
It said a Coast Guard Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry aeroplane crew had located an overloaded 40-foot Haitian sail freighter Friday, about 35 miles south of Ragged Island, Bahamas.
“The Coast Guard Cutter Seneca was diverted to the scene and safely interdicted and embarked 78 migrants,” the coast guard said.
It the other incident, the coast guard said that it interdicted 73 migrants on an overloaded 50-foot Haitian sail freighter Wednesday, seven miles south-west of Great Inagua, Bahamas.
“The Caribbean and Florida straits are dangerous and unforgiving for migrants on illegal and ill-advised voyages, in overloaded vessels with little or no safety gear, needlessly placing lives at risk,” said Cmdr Willie Carmichael, deputy chief of enforcement for the coast guard’s 7th District.
“The coast guard and its partner agencies continue to maintain a strong presence along our maritime border and will continue to interdict and rescue those who embark on these illegal voyages in unsafe vessels such as these ones,” he added.