Governor statement on November 29 Capsized Sloop

#TurksandCaicos, November 30, 2021 – “You will be aware of a situation at sea, last night, where the Maritime Police – involved in the interception of a Sloop – instead became involved in a mass rescue of irregular migrants.  A Police Press Statement has just issued that carries the official details.

For the moment I can’t pay enough credit to the work the Maritime Police do at night, at sea or those from the Immigration Task Force, Radar and Regiment that support them on land.  Eighty men and women – who were intent on breaching our borders and living illegally in our communities  – are alive today because of the Police’s efforts, pulling them out of the water last night.

I have been kept informed, throughout the night and early morning, by the Acting Commissioner and the Commander of the Maritime Police. The operation is ongoing with Maritime Police Officers, having worked through the night, are now back out this morning engaged in a further search and rescue operation supported by DECR and the US Coast Guard.  I will therefore reserve any further comments until I have been briefed by them at the conclusion of the incident.  Because of the nature of the incident the Directorate of Disaster Management and the Ministry of Health, plus other agencies as needed, are engaged.  The National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) has been partially activated.

As I write there have been no known fatalities but given the appalling circumstances – an unsafe overloaded vessel capsizing at night – it seems implausible to me that there will not have been loss of life – perhaps significant – hence the wider national response as a contingency – and if so I express my unqualified sorrow for those who have perished at sea – the victims of people smugglers intent only on profit. Our aim must be to bring those who facilitate this trade to justice, not just intercept Sloops, and much of my and other colleagues focus this week was, and is planned, to be on exactly this issue.  A further press statement on this wider work follows imminently.”