Avellon Williams
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO — In less than a month, the U.S. Coast Guard rescued 34 Haitian migrants abandoned by smugglers on an uninhabited island near Puerto Rico.
Employees with Puerto Rico’s Department of Natural Resources noticed multiple campfires on Monito Island, located amid treacherous waters separating the U.S. territory from the Dominican Republic.
On Monday, the migrants took turns jumping into the water where a small Coast Guard boat awaited them during swells of up to 15 feet (five meters). According to officials, the rescue took five hours.
A total of 26 men, seven women, and one boy were transported to Puerto Rico by U.S. Border Patrol agents.
As a result of the Coast Guard’s efforts on November, 12 Haitian migrants were rescued from Monito Island after spending five days there. This tiny island was rescued by 27 Haitian migrants in late June.
In the wake of deepening poverty and political instability, a growing number of Haitians are fleeing their nation, crossing into the Dominican Republic and then paying smugglers to transport them to Puerto Rico. In rough waters, rickety boats that transport migrants have capsized, killing dozens this year.
Over 320 migrants were detained by the Coast Guard between Oct. 1 and Nov. 30, primarily Dominicans. U.S. Border Patrol agents transfer all migrants to their home countries unless they request asylum or they have a criminal record in the United States.
