Nearly 200 Haitians were repatriated to their homeland on Tuesday after U.S. Coast Guard officials intercepted an overloaded vessel about 40 miles north of Cap Haitien.
“The Coast Guard is committed to our mission to safeguard America by securing our maritime borders and preventing illegal entry into the United States and its territories,” said Lt. Cmdr. Cory Arsenault, Coast Guard liaison officer to U.S. Embassy Port-au-Prince, in a statement. “Anyone attempting to enter the United States illegally by sea will be interdicted and repatriated, consistent with U.S. law and policy.”
Coast Guard officials have repatriated 603 Haitians since Oct. 1, 2024 compared to 857 Haitians in the previous fiscal year.
Haitians have sought to flee their country because of the overwhelming gang violence.
At least 1,520 people were killed and more than 600 injured from April to the end of June across Haiti. More than 60% of the killings and injuries occurred during operations by security forces against gangs, with another 12% blamed on self-defense groups, according to the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti.
About 1.3 million people in recent years have been displaced from the gang violence.
