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AGUADILLA, Puerto Rico – An elaborate operation has been undertaken since late yesterday by federal and state law enforcement authorities, under the Caribbean Border Interagency Group (CBIG), to remove 79 undocumented Haitian aliens and 5 vessel crewmembers from Mona Island.
CBIG authorities confirmed that 84 persons (65 Male, 19 Female) were on board a Honduran flagged 185-foot coastal freighter named “Jireh” which ran aground yesterday morning just off Uvero Beach in Mona Island, Puerto Rico.
Park Rangers from the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) found the group and the vessel yesterday notifying federal authorities prompting the response operation.
This morning US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Agents assumed custody of 42 Haitian undocumented aliens which were transported to the Ramey Border Patrol Station, Aguadilla, for immigration processing. At the island 42 male aliens remain.
Air and Marine units from CBP, USCG, DNER, Puerto Rico National Guard and the Puerto Rico Police’s Joint Forces for Rapid Action (FURA, for its Spanish acronym) have been transporting additional agents and officers from the respective agencies, as well as provisions and materials to address the needs of the large group.
An Incident Command Post and Unified Command comprised of federal, state and industry agencies and organization has been established at Coast Guard Base San Juan to manage response and salvage efforts of the coastal freighter Jireh. The Incident Command Post includes Coast Guard, Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, the National Atmospheric & Oceanic Administration, Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, and Clean Harbors as the contracted Oil Spill Response Organization. The Unified Command is coordinating response and salvage efforts and conducting a more thorough assessment to determine the condition of the vessel and mitigate any environmental impact caused by the vessel grounding.
Federal law establishes that all foreign flagged vessels who are about to enter a US territory must notify CBP its intent and request admission at a designated point of entry. Furthermore, U.S. immigration law prohibits entering or attempt to enter without requesting admission at a port of entry by immigration officers.
According to the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), while smuggling by sea accounts only for a small portion of overall migrant smuggling around the world, the particular dangers of irregular travel at sea make it a priority for response; due to the reported fact that more deaths occur by sea.
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Danny00
Was transporting his people again and using a hummingbird depth finder on the 185-foot coastal freighter.
Aren't you gona say anything Danny00? or Mr Kiskeyaman?
It's always proven right: "he without no sin, let him cast the first stone"
Whatever you say does NOT matter petit garcon.
Visas to advance economies is the fastest and most secure way to help out destitute people trying to break out of immense poverty and low opportunity environments. All the countries within the top 60 in the world or so should share the burden and provide work Visas for Haitians. The UN should be stepping up to the plate and playing a key role in making this happen. 5000 Haitians a year for ten years will mean but an average of 50,000 or so people in 10 years time. This will not break any reasonably average nation. As these immigrants will provide labor in the less remunerative areas of the economies of rich nations, they will not compete directly with the national populations. And many European nations have strong downward population stats. So the fit, other than chauvinism and lingering racist sentiments, makes sense. Besides, as the UN has stated: EU should 'undermine national homogeneity'
EU should 'undermine national homogeneity' says UN migration chief
By Brian Wheeler
Political reporter, BBC News
Peter Sutherland's global migration forum brings together 160 nations to discuss policy"
"The EU should "do its best to undermine" the "homogeneity" of its member states, the UN's special representative for migration has said.
Peter Sutherland told peers the future prosperity of many EU states depended on them becoming multicultural.
He also suggested the UK government's immigration policy had no basis in international law."
And what better way to show this spirit than to help out the poverty stricken people of Haiti?
A territory created by European clashing of colonial greed and intolerance?
Or is just when Dominican Republic deports that they can write their garbage...
When was the last time you visited the DR? You should check out what's going on there. No people like it when their public spaces are invaded and poverty stricken people are swarming into their domestic spaces. It is not hate that drives this rebuke of Dominican and Haitian policy. It is the massive unbalanced way in which it is taking place and the great stresses it has placed on Dominicans, expecially those from the poorest wage sectors. These Dominicans forced into even lower wages, and have less serives provided them because some of what might have gone into their education, health, and housing has to be spent on providing for even poorer people coming from Haiti.
Again, Haiti's problems need an INTERNATIONAL SOLUTION. Visas to a first world country is the fastest and most promising course in helping Haitians uplift their lives. The First world must do more than pass the buck to a slightly better off nation, even if it happens to be on the same island.
Both sides of our island has 10 million in population. Comparing the Mexican migration to US with Haitian into DR is like the US absorbing 50 million of the 170 million Mexicans. Its just too much. So is DR absorbing 2.5 million Haitians into our population. That's a 25-30 % increase in too short a time. Our resources and our people can't support such a large influx in so short a time. It is a f*#@ing big deal to us.