US Border Patrol Apprehends 64 Haitians Who Were Abandoned by Smugglers in Mona Island
US Border Patrol Agents apprehended Wednesday 64 Haitian migrants who were abandoned by smugglers on Mona Island Tuesday morning.
““Unscrupulous smugglers are exploiting vulnerable migrants and lying to them for financial gain,” indicated Scott Garrett, Acting Chief Patrol Agent for Ramey Sector. ““Smugglers lied to these migrants leaving them on an uninhabited natural reserve with complete disregard for their safety.”
On Oct. 18, Park Rangers from the Puerto Rico Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (PRDENR) contacted the Ramey Border Patrol Sector indicating that they encountered a group of 104 undocumented migrants that were abandoned in the islands early in morning.
On Oct. 19, the US Coast Guard cutter Joseph Napier transferred the 64 Haitian migrants to the custody of Ramey Border Patrol Agents at the Mayaguez Port of Entry.
Three females who are pregnant were transported to a local hospital for medical examination.
Agents transported the group to the Ramey Station for immigration processing.
Mona island is an ecological reserve held by the Puerto Rican government and is not permanently inhabited.
The Ramey Sector is one of the twenty-one Sectors spread out across the United States. Encompassing the U.S. territorial islands of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, it is the only Border Patrol Sector located outside the continental United States. The Sector’s entire border area is made up of coastline and its area of responsibility is made up of some 6,000 square miles of land and water area, including the twelve-mile band of territorial water surrounding the Islands.
