The Coast Guard rescued 117 Dominican migrants east of the Dominican Republic on Wednesday afternoon.
The Coast Guard said it was notified by the Caribbean Air and Marine Branch that their patrol aircraft located an overloaded migrant vessel 20 nautical miles east of Samana Bay, Dominican Republic.
Coast Guard Cutter Charles Sexton arrived on scene and safely rescued 93 males and 24 females with no reported health concerns.
The migrants were repatriated to La Romana Cruise Port, Dominican Republic, at approximately 8 a.m. Thursday.
"Taking to the sea in grossly overloaded vessels with no navigation and lifesaving equipment is extremely dangerous," said Senior Chief Petty Officer Daniel Capestany, the Coast Guard Sector San Juan command center supervisor. "We are all fortunate that no one died and everyone was able to be safely returned to the Dominican Republic. The Coast Guard will continue to work with its international, inter-agency, and local partners to discourage illegal and unsafe maritime migration."
The Coast Guard Cutter Charles Sexton is a 154-foot Fast Response Cutter. Its home port is in Key West.
