U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S Coast Guard apprehended 38 migrants from Cuba, Haiti and Dominican Republic, and seized 1.5 pounds of marijuana, in separate events, on Sunday.
Early Sunday morning, Park Rangers from the Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (DRNA) in Mona Island contacted the Ramey Border Patrol Station notifying the landing of 14 migrants (9 adult males, four adult females, and one accompanied juvenile female) claiming to be Cuban Nationals near Playa Mujeres Beach.
A USCG cutter transported all migrants to the Mayaguez Port of Entry where Border Patrol agents assumed custody and transported them to the Ramey Border Patrol Station for immigration processing.
(Learn More about CBP Marine Enforcement, courtesy of CBP and YouTube)
“Migrants continue to place themselves at the mercy of smugglers who have complete disregard for their safety and leave them within the shores of Mona knowing the dangers involved,” stated Ramiro Cerrillo, Ramey Sector Chief Patrol Agent in Aguadilla.
Later in the day a USCG cutter intercepted a 20-foot ”yola” type vessel approximately 35 miles north of Desecheo Island, with a total of 24 adult migrants (21 Dominican males, two Dominican females and one Haitian male) on board.
A bag containing marijuana was found floating nearby and seized.
regularly destroyed. (Image Credit: CBP)
After biometric checks and a Caribbean Border Interagency Group (CBIG) conference, 8 migrants were transported to the Mayaguez Port where Border Patrol Agents assumed their custody and the marijuana, for processing and prosecution. The remaining 16 migrants were repatriated by USCG to the Dominican Republic.
CBP maintains a strong position regarding the enforcement of our immigration laws along the country’s borders and coastal areas.
After admissibility processing at the Border Patrol Station, Cuban nationals will receive a Notice to Appear (NTA) before an Immigration Judge, for further proceedings under the Cuban Migration Agreement of 1995 and the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966.
