Coast Guard repatriates 13 Dominican Republic migrants. They couldn’t find 3 others.
Thirteen people trying to illegally migrate from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico were spotted adrift Monday and intercepted near Desecheo Island, a tiny, uninhabited island about 13 miles west of Puerto Rico, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard also said it called off the search for three men who spotted land on Nov. 13 and left their 25-foot boat in an attempt to swim to shore. The search for those men ended Tuesday.
A fishing vessel, Yamilette, found the boat adrift and took it in tow while sending up a flare the Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Napier saw. The Napier took on the four women and nine men who’ll be sent back to the Dominican Republic.
Meanwhile, an MH-65 Dolphins rescue helicopter and an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft out of Miami led a search that covered 1,334 miles. The Coast Guard Cutter Donald Horsley also was involved.
This story was originally published November 20, 2019 at 6:21 PM.
