The U.S. Coast Guard interdicted a Haitian sail vessel with 179 people on board Sunday near the Bahamas, officials said.
A crew spotted the vessel at around 11 p.m. approximately 30 miles off the coast of Andros Island, the Coast Guard said in a news release Tuesday.
"The Coast Guard and partner agencies continue to patrol in the air and on the water to deter these types of unsafe voyages," said Lt. Vladimir Jimenez, law enforcement duty officer of the Seventh Coast Guard District command center. "The probability of a successful migration voyage is low, and when these voyages are stopped, people should expect to be returned to their country of origin."
The people are scheduled to be transferred to the Royal Bahamian Defense Force crews Tuesday.
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Coast Guard crews have rescued 993 Haitians since Oct. 1, 2021.
