27 Dominicans repatriated after intercepting their ship in Puerto Rican waters

The US Coast Guard reported this Thursday that it had repatriated 27 Dominican migrants whose boat was intercepted while trying to reach the western coast of Puerto Rico. Coast Guard patrolman Richard Dixon delivered the Dominican citizens to a Dominican Republic Navy vessel yesterday, according to the statement. The boat was initially detected by the crew of a Customs and Border Protection maritime and air control aircraft, approximately 30 nautical miles north of the Puerto Rican municipality of Aguadilla.

The repatriated migrants are 24 men and 3 women, all of them of Dominican nationality. “Irregular migration aboard improvised and extremely overloaded vessels is highly dangerous and puts lives at risk,” warned Captain José E. Díaz, commander of the San Juan Sector of the Coast Guard.

From October 1, 2022, to February 28, 2023, the Coast Guard detained 462 Dominicans and 98 Haitians in the waters of Puerto Rico.