US Coast Guard repatriates 164 Haitian migrants
- Last Updated on 19 January 2013
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Watchstanders at the Seventh Coast Guard District command center received notification of a grossly overloaded 40-foot sail freighter southwest of Long Island, Bahamas, on January 4, 2013. Once the Bear arrived on scene, the crew safely embarked the migrants and repatriated them on Thursday.
Once aboard a Coast Guard cutter, all migrants are provided with food, water, shelter and basic medical attention.
"The patrol presence of our cutters in the Caribbean continues to prevent the potential loss of life that has occurred too many times when grossly overloaded vessels take to the sea in an attempt to illegally migrate to the United States," said Cmdr. Timothy Cronin, Seventh Coast Guard District, Assistant Branch Chief for Enforcement. "Coast Guard Alien Migrant Interdiction Operations protect our borders from illicit activity, but they also highlight the humanitarian side of our service. The Coast Guard will continue to rescue Haitian migrants from their peril at sea and will always do so in a professional manner that preserves the dignity of all people."
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