Date: Oct. 27, 2004

Contact:  Lt.j.g. Eric Willis
787.510.7923

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC MIGRANT INTERCEPTION UPDATE, FOUR YOLAS IN SIX DAYS

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Since Thursday night, the Coast Guard has intercepted four yolas and 106 Dominican Republic nationals in the Mona Passage as they were trying to gain illegal entry by boat into Puerto Rico. 

Thursday night:  The Coast Guard Cutter Ocracoke responded to a report from a Department of Homeland Security C-12 airplane that had spotted a yola 12 miles off the coast of Guanaquilla, Puerto Rico.  Ten Dominican Republic migrants were safely embarked and later transferred to the Cutter Chincoteague for repatriation; the yola was destroyed as a hazard to navigation. 

Saturday morning:  Another yola was spotted by the crew of a Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter with 58 Dominican nationals aboard a 25-foot yola 17 miles north of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.  The combined total of 68 migrants was turned over to the Dominican navy for further repatriation later Saturday afternoon.

Monday evening: Chincoteague responded to a report of another yola ready to make landfall at the base of the cliffs off Aguadilla. An off-duty Coast Guardsman, Chief Petty Officer Seward, spotted the overloaded yola from the cliffs of Aguadilla and reported the sighting to the Coast Guard Air Station watchstanders.  The yola was trying to navigate the high surf into shore.  The command center watch standers notified Customs and Border Protection (CBP), directed the launch of an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter and diverted the Chincoteague.

The yola reportedly capsized just as it came ashore, and an estimated 12 to 15 people were dumped into the surf and ran to the beach.  Chincoteague maneuvered within a thousand yards of the surf zone and was able to assist the HH-65 and shore-side DHS team by providing accurate locations of migrants using their infra-red heat-detecting camera.  This newly installed maritime tool helped find five illegal migrants hiding on shore.

Monday night:  A third yola was spotted by a DHS C-12 airplane and intercepted by Chincoteague 15 miles west of Rincon, Puerto Rico.  All 17 Dominican migrants were embarked aboard Chincoteague and repatriated via the Dominican navy at 2:30 p.m. yesterday

Early today:  A DHS C-12 airplane patrolling the Mona passage spotted another yola, 35 miles west of Punta Borinquen, Puerto Rico. Chincoteague responded to intercept the 20-foot vessel with 21 Dominican Republic nationals aboard.  They had reportedly left the Samana Peninsula Sunday or Monday.

Since Oct. 1, there have been 177 Dominican Republic nationals intercepted at sea in the Mona Passage in seven separate cases.

Last fiscal year, there were 6,013 people intercepted crossing the Mona Passage on these illegal and dangerous voyages.

All migrants are given food, water and medical attention when they are embarked aboard a Coast Guard cutter.

The Chincoteague and the Ocracoke are 110-foot patrol boats based in San Juan.

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