The U.S. Coast Guard, in collaboration with the security forces of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, has apprehended hundreds of Haitian migrants traveling in dangerous conditions. U.S. COAST GUARD
THE WATCH STAFF
The Caribbean region, a crucial approach to the U.S. homeland, has experienced a significant increase in illegal migrants in recent years, a surge amplified more recently by the exodus of migrants out of Haiti.
In early April 2024, the Bahamas, a U.S. ally, and the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), a Caribbean partner, worked together to detain hundreds of migrants in operations conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard to apprehend often overloaded boats. In some cases, animals were being transported in unsanitary conditions
On April 5, 2024, a U.S. Coast Guard plane alerted Turks and Caicos authorities to a boat carrying 30 migrants, including a girl. The speedboat, stolen in Providenciales, also contained six puppies in kennels, one of which had died, according to a news release from the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RTCIPF).
The boat was intercepted by vessels belonging to the TCI Department of Environment and Coastal Resources and the TCI Regiment. The RTCIPF’s Marine Branch also responded and helped tow the vessel to shore, where the occupants were handed over to immigration authorities for processing, the release stated.
The next day, April 6, a Coast Guard plane alerted TCI authorities to a sloop near Inagua and south of West Caicos. The Bahamas also responded to the alert, and a Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) vessel intercepted the vessel in Inagua carrying 257 migrants. “The illegal transportation of both people and animals underlines the need for comprehensive approaches to address smuggling and trafficking across borders. Swift action and stringent enforcement measures are essential to deter such activities and ensure the safety and integrity of our borders,” said RTCIPF Assistant Commissioner Mat Newton in the release. “I would like to thank local, regional, and international partners who demonstrated over the weekend that we can successfully disrupt illegal crossings by working together. Irregular migrants are being transported via stolen boats alongside animals. Combating this illicit trade requires enhanced vigilance and cooperation among law enforcement agencies and the public.”
RBDF Commander Dr. E. Raymond King also applauded the coordinated response. He identified the migrants and the vessels carrying them as Haitian. The RBDF has apprehended nearly 700 people in the last month, King told the Nassau Guardian, a Bahamian newspaper. “From March 11 to April 6, there were some 676 migrants that the RBDF would have been a part of,” King said. “I believe the Royal Turks and Caicos Island Police Force numbers may range between 300 to 400, but it doesn’t account for the number of vessels that the United States Coast Guard has successfully turned around and escorted back to Haiti. Those numbers are unknown, but those instances have occurred.”
The RBDF said the Haitian sailing vessel carrying the 257 migrants was intercepted 24 miles east of North East Point, Inagua, by the HMBS Bahamas. The migrants were transported to Matthew Town, Inagua, for processing. “The interception was as a result of information and intelligence sharing between the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force, the United States Coast Guard and the Royal Bahamas Defence Force using the [Operation Bahamas and Turks and Caicos] OPBAT helicopters as well as other Coast Guard aerial assets in order to detect those migrant movements,” King said, according to the Guardian.
King also spoke with the Guardian about the earlier interdiction conducted by TCI forces. “The efforts are coordinated. It’s done in a collaborative manner. We are trying to maximize our surface and aerial resources to get maximum coverage and early detection and eventual interception of any migration movements from the northern coast of Haiti,” King said. The Bahamas implemented a blockade of its southern islands nearest to Haiti as unrest worsened this year.
The U.S. Coast Guard has also been interdicting Haitian vessels in recent weeks. On March 7, 2024, the crew of Coast Guard cutter Venturous repatriated 65 migrants to Haiti after an interdiction of a migrant venture near Great Inagua, Bahamas, after a “good Samaritan” notified the 7th Coast Guard District of a sailing vessel in distress, according to a Coast Guard news release.
“The Coast Guard’s primary mission as a member of the Homeland Security Task Force- Southeast [HSTF-SE] is to preserve human life at sea,” said Capt. Willie Carmichael, incident commander for Operation Vigilant Sentry. “The maritime environment is inherently dangerous and can become deadly aboard crowded unseaworthy vessels. The Coast Guard will continue working with our HSTF-SE partners to rescue and repatriate anyone attempting irregular migration via sea routes, regardless of their nationality.”
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