Coast Guard repatriates 20 Haitians after boat stopped 11 miles off Lake Worth
The Coast Guard Cutter Confidence returned 20 Haitian migrants to Cap Haitien, Haiti, Thursday, after 21 people were found Saturday aboard a 28-foot boat 11 miles off Lake Worth.
One of the people on the boat was a Colombian national who was turned over to Homeland Security, according to the Coast Guard.
The 20 Haitians were transferred to the cutter after being spotted by a Customs and Border Protection maritime patrol aircraft.
The Miami Herald is awaiting a response from the Coast Guard as to where the boat’s journey began — whether it originated in Haiti and made it to Florida waters or if it originated somewhere else.
“The Coast Guard and our partners continue to watch the Caribbean and surrounding waters for illegal and unsafe migration,” Lt. Edwin Valentin, Coast Guard liaison to Haiti, said in a release. “Taking to the sea to smuggle yourself into the country is very dangerous; we urge you not to risk you and your loved-ones’ lives.”
The Coast Guard interdicted 271 Haitian migrants in fiscal year 2021, which began Oct. 1, 2020. In April, for instance, two Coast Guard rescues by the Cutter Charles Sexton’s crew led to the repatriation of 72 Haitian migrants back to Haiti, according to the 7th District Southeast in Miami.
In fiscal year 2020, 418 Haitian migrants were interdicted and 932 were in fiscal year 2019.
This story was originally published June 11, 2021 at 10:59 AM.
