The United States Coast Guards on Wednesday (May 3) repatriated 166 people to Haiti, 27 to Cuba and transferred 66 people to the Bahamas, following five interdictions off the coasts of Florida, Haiti and Cuba.

The US Coast Guard said in a statement on Thursday (May 4), that the Coast Guards, along with Homeland Security Task Force were able to interdict several illegal maritime migration events over the past week.

Among the vessels interdicted were two Haitian vessels that were spotted approximately 40 miles north lle de la Torture, Haiti on Monday.

A vessel transporting Cuban migrants was intercepted 30 miles north of Cayo Cruz Del Padre, Cuba on Sunday.

Another vessel was intercepted on Saturday after the Miami-Dade Police Department notified Coast Guard Sector Miami watchstanders, about a recreational boat moored at Crandon Park with suspected migrants aboard.

Once aboard a Coast Guard cutter, all migrants receive food, water, shelter and basic medical attention.   

Commander Ernest Brown, deputy incident commander, of Operation Vigilant Sentry said that “Following the DHS immigration parole process change that was announced April 27th, migrants interdicted on the water attempting to enter the United States unlawfully will be ineligible for the Cuban and Haitian parole processes that were announced this past January.”

He added that “Our highest priority is to prevent loss of life at sea. Our Coast Guard crews, alongside Customs and Border Protection and our other mission partners across the Florida Straits, Windward Pass and the Mona Pass collaborated to act expeditiously in saving these 259 lives and repatriating them back to their country of origin.”

Since October 1, 2022, Coast Guard crews have encountered 6,537 Cuban migrants and 4,458 Haitian migrants.