SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The crew of US Coast Guard Cutter Richard Dixon rescued 11 migrants, on Saturday, who were left stranded by smugglers on the uninhabited natural reserve of Monito Island, Puerto Rico, in the Mona Passage. The rescue involved efforts and coordination with Caribbean Border Interagency Group (CBIG) partner agencies.
“Deterring dangerous and irregular migration to the United States by sea is both a matter of ensuring US border security and a lifesaving mission for those who take to the sea without understanding the hazards and perils of this journey,” said Lt. Peter Diamontopulos, Coast Guard Cutter Richard Dixon commanding officer. “I am extremely proud of my crew’s ability to rescue all 11 migrants from a highly dangerous environment with no food or water and exposure to the elements. The risk to life is not worth it, taking to the sea is never the answer, seek legal migration pathways.”
Coast Guard watchstanders in San Juan, Puerto Rico received a communication at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, from the crew of the fishing vessel Likeo reporting a group of people with orange shirts who appeared to be stranded on the rocky cliffs of Monito Island. Watchstanders directed the launch of a Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter and diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Richard Dixon to confirm the report and provide rescue assistance. The Coast Guard aircrew sighted the group on Monito and vectored-in the cutter Richard Dixon to their location.
Once on scene, the favorable sea state conditions allowed the cutter Richard Dixon’s Over the Horizon boat to safely approach Monito Island. The Coast Guard crew provided lifejackets to the group of 11 migrants, six men and five women, who claimed to be Haitian nationals. The Coast Guard boat crew provide instructions to each migrant for them to hold onto a life ring wearing a life jacket and jump into the water. Once in the water, the Coast Guard boat crew safely recovered each migrant and transferred them to the cutter Richard Dixon.
All 11 migrants were transferred to Ramey Sector US Border Patrol agents in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.
Migrants who are interdicted at sea or apprehended ashore will not be allowed to stay in the United States or a US territory. Furthermore, anyone who arrives unlawfully may be declared ineligible for legal immigration parole options and be repatriated to their country of origin or returned to the country of departure.
The Coast Guard, along with its Homeland Security Task Force – Southeast partners, maintains a continual presence with air, land, and sea assets in the Florida Straits, the Windward Passage, the Mona Passage, and the Caribbean Sea in support of Operation Vigilant Sentry. The HSTF-SE combined, multi-layered approach is designed to protect the safety of life at sea while preventing unlawful maritime entry to the United States and its territories.
