| Office of Public Affairs U.S. Coast Guard Seventh District |
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| Press Release |
Date: Aug. 19, 2005 Contact: |
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FT. MYERS CUTTER INTERCEPTS CUBAN MIGRANTS FT. MYERS BEACH, Fla. -- Coast Guard Cutter Marlin returned home yesterday after intercepting, embarking and transferring 33 Cuban migrants during their last patrol. Marlin intercepted 21 migrants from two separate incidents and embarked another 12 from cruise ship Navigator of the Sea and Coast Guard Cutter Matagorda. Sixteen undocumented migrants were intercepted on a home-made boat heading northbound in the Florida Straights Friday. Later that night, Navigator of the Sea transferred 11 migrants they had come across north of Havana, Cuba, to Marlin. Saturday morning, Marlin embarked another migrant who had been interdicted by the Matagorda near Key West, Fla. The Marlin interdicted five more migrants on a home-made boat near Marquises Monday morning making a total of 33 migrants onboard. While onboard Coast Guard cutters, migrants receive food, water, blankets and medical attention if necessary. The 33 migrants were transferred to the Coast Guard Cutter Hawk for repatriation to Bahia de Cabanas, Cuba. All three cutters, Marlin, Matagorda and Hawk, joined forces Tuesday morning to intercept three suspected smugglers in the Florida Straights. The three suspected smugglers and their vessel were turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Safeguarding U.S. borders is one of the Coast Guard's primary missions as a member of the Department of Homeland Security. Since January, Coast Guard cutters have intercepted 947 Haitains, 2,404 Dominicans and 1,856 Cuban migrants at sea. The Coast Guard Cutter Marlin is an 87-foot patrol boat homeported in Ft. Myers Beach, Fla. Editor's note - video and interviews are available from the crew of Marlin in Ft. Myers Beach. Interested media are asked to arrive at 10:30 and be prepared to dub from a mini-DV. ### The U.S. Coast Guard is a military, maritime, multi-mission service within the |
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