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Coast Guard Repatriates 51 Boat Migrants Attempting to Reach Puerto Rico

U.S. Coast Guard

Dozens of ‘migrants’ apprehended in waters near Puerto Rico were brought to the Dominican Republic by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) this week.

The bust unfolded on Saturday evening in the Caribbean Sea approximately 27 nautical miles southwest of Mona Island, PR.

A USCG aircrew spotted a 30-foot boat engaged in an “unlawful maritime migration voyage” and a cutter was dispatched to intercept, USCG explained in a press release.

“Once on scene, the cutter crew stopped the vessel and embarked 52 migrants, 51 claimed to be Dominican Republic nationals and one other who claimed to be Haitian.”

On Tuesday, all 51 alleged Dominicans were repatriated while the lone Haitian remains in custody to face federal prosecution under 8 U.S. Code § 1324, which pertains to “bringing in and harboring certain aliens.”

More than 1,200 foreign nationals have been interdicted in waters around Mona Island and Puerto Rico since October 1.

In early April, three maritime incursions involving more than 100 ‘boat migrants’ were thwarted near Puerto Rico during a busy 24-hour period in the Caribbean.

Shortly afterward, a total of 101 illegal entrants were repatriated to the Dominican Republic.

The USCG seemingly cast doubt on the legitimacy of some of the illegals’ claims of being from the Dominican Republic amid concerns about increased migration out of Haiti due to explosive civil unrest and violent anarchy there.

Haiti and the Dominican Republic both lie on the island of Hispaniola, and Dominican authorities have escalated efforts to seal off the border and deport large numbers of Haitians in recent months.

This article was originally published by InfoWars.com