1000+ migrants caught in two weeks says Coast Guard 

Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer 

December 29, 2023 – A huge operation resulted in the apprehension of 1,086 migrants in the Northern Caribbean in a two-week span thanks to partnerships with the US Coast Guard, Turks and Caicos Marine Branch, Bahamas Coast Guard, US Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations Southeast Region crews, and Homeland Security Task Force-Southeast. The migrants were intercepted between December 1 – 14.

The US Coast Guard made the announcement on Tuesday, December 19th indicating that in a single day, multiple interceptions had resulted in the capture of 306 migrants including two pregnant women all heading for the TCI.

On December 5th, Miami Air and Marine Branch and Jacksonville Air and Marine Branch Multi-Role Enforcement Aircraft crews located multiple smuggling vessels near the Turks and Caicos Islands. The crews communicated the location to an Operation Bahamas Turks and Caicos (OPBAT) team who coordinated for Turks and Caicos Islands maritime police to conduct the interdiction.

“This event accounts for nearly 30 percent of apprehensions in the first two weeks of December for the Southeast Region,” the report said.

Then on December 11th near Key Largo, Florida another overloaded vessel appeared, it was intercepted and 47 migrants caught. The migrants indicated they had departed Cuba approximately eight days prior and displayed an “SOS” flag when they were discovered by responding authorities.

Previously on December 1, Air and Marine Agents had apprehended 63 migrants near Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico.

“This event demonstrates the critical teamwork that enables our crews to stop human smuggling on the seas,” stated Creighton Skeen, acting Director of Air and Marine Operations, Caribbean Air and Marine Branch. “Our crews will continue to strengthen our partnerships in the Southeast Region to keep the seas safe.”