Coast Guard repatriates 17 Haitian migrants

[The Patriot]

MIAMI -- The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Nantucket repatriated 17 Haitian migrants to Cap Haitien, Haiti, Friday.

The 17 Haitian migrants, consisting of 10 adult males, four adult females and three children, were interdicted Tuesday east of Palm Beach, Fla., by a Coast Guard Station Lake Worth Inlet, Fla., boatcrew.

The 17 Haitian migrants were traveling in a 22-foot cuddy cabin vessel. All 17 were safely embarked, then processed for repatriation.

"The Coast Guard strongly advises against taking to sea in an attempt to illegally enter the United States," said Capt. Eduardo Pino, Seventh Coast Guard District chief of response. "Taking to sea in a grossly overloaded vessel with little or no safety gear needlessly places human lives at risk. 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."

Once aboard a Coast Guard cutter, migrants are given food, water, shelter and basic medical care.

The cutter Nantucket is a 110-foot patrol boat homeported in St. Petersburg, Fla.

For more information on how to legally immigrate to the United States, call U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) at 1-800-375-5283 or visit the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov .




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