USCG intercepts 191 Haitians near Bahamas

The U.S. Coast Guard intercepted 191 Haitians aboard an overloaded sail freighter Tuesday, about 40 miles southwest of Great Inagua, Bahamas, the USCG said.

Coast Guard Kathleen Moore’s crew located a green and blue sail freighter with 191 people aboard during a routine patrol, Tuesday, at approximately 1 a.m. The crew provided life jackets and brought the people aboard Coast Guard Cutters Reliance and Kathleen Moore due to safety of life at sea concerns.

“The Coast Guard maintains a persistent presence patrolling the waters around Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas, to help prevent loss of life on the high seas,” said Lt. David Steele, Coast Guard liaison officer, U.S. Embassy Haiti. “These grossly overloaded vessels operate without proper safety equipment and are not built for these hazardous voyages.”

Since Oct. 1, 2021, Coast Guard crews have rescued 802 Haitians compared to 1,527 Haitian migrants in FY2021 and 418 in FY2020.