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The United States Coast Guard has warned of illegal sea voyages after banning two in the waters of Mona Passage near Puerto Rico.
On its official Facebook page last week, the San Juan Coast Guard said it returned eight Dominican nationals, 15 Haitians and 12 Uzbeks between Tuesday and Friday to the Dominican Republic.
According to the Facebook post, four other Dominicans apprehended during the bans face federal criminal charges in Puerto Rico for attempting to illegally re-enter the United States.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico is leading the prosecution in this case.
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“We remain gravely concerned about the safety of people who undertake illegal journeys through the Mona Passage and ask them not to set sail,” said Captain José E. Díaz, acting commander of the Coast Guard Sector. from San Juan.
“The dangers are pretty obvious,” Díaz explained.
The US Coast Guard official observed that every illegal voyage is a case of mass rescue “waiting to happen.”
“Your life will be in danger,” he warned.
Díaz noted that voyages most often take place aboard grossly overloaded and unseaworthy makeshift vessels that are highly unstable, continually take on water, and have little or no adequate lifesaving equipment.
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