The Coast Guard returned 125 Haitian migrants to Cap Haitien, Haiti on Thursday, two days after an Air Station Miami crew found them aboard a “grossly overloaded” sail freighter in the Caribbean.
The Haitians were located on a ship north of Cap du Môle on the nation’s northwestern coast, the U.S. agency said Thursday.
They were brought aboard the Reliance, a 210-foot cutter, and given lifejackets, food, water, shelter and basic medical attention, the Coast Guard said.
"The Coast Guard strongly advises against taking to sea in an attempt to illegally enter the United States," said Captain Eduardo Pino, the 7th Coast Guard District’s 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 humanitarian and professional manner that preserves the dignity of all people."
