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The Coastal Guard cutter Spencer repatriated 191 Haitians fleeing insecurity fueled by gangs and the humanitarian crisis by boat
Miami – The American Coast Guard repatriated 191 Haitians on Tuesday after intercepted a ship dangerously overloaded at around 40 miles north of Cap -Haitian, officials said in a press release. The group had attempted the treacherous journey to escape the escalation of violence, hunger and the instability of Haiti.
The crew members aboard the Spencer coastal coast cup, an average endurance ship of 270 feet, spotted the overcrowded boat on August 29 after being handicapped in international waters. The Haitians were brought on board, given food, water and basic medical care before being transported to their country of origin on Spet. 2
“The Coast Guard has undertaken to protect America by obtaining our maritime borders and preventing illegal entry into the United States and its territories,” said Lieutenant CMDR. Cory Arsenault, Coast Guard liaison officer at the United States Embassy in Port-au-Prince. “Anyone who tries to illegally enter the United States by sea will be prohibited and repatriated, in accordance with American law and politics.”
Interception underlines how the multidimensional crisis of Haiti – marked by the gang war, political paralysis, food shortages and forced trips – pushes more people to flee, often per sea. According to the United Nations, nearly 1.7 million people are moved, more than half of the population needing humanitarian aid.
Since the start of the 2025 fiscal year on October 1, the American coast guard teams have repatriated 603 Haitians, against 857 in the previous year. Authorities warn that the figures could increase as the crisis was deepening.
“Anyone who tries to illegally enter the United States by sea will be prohibited and repatriated, in accordance with American law and politics.”
LT. CMDR. Cory Arsenault, American Coast Guard
The interception was part of the Vigilant Sentry Operation (OVS), a long -standing American effort to patrol in the Strait of Florida, the passage of the wind, the passage of Mona and the larger Caribbean to dissuade illegal maritime migration and save lives at sea. OVS uses a multilayer, land surveillance, land and maritime system To coordinate operations.
The Spencer cutter was at the heart of the Patrols of the Caribbean Water
Commanded in 1986 and brought home in Portsmouth, Virginia, the Cutter of the American coastal guard Spencer (USCGC) is designed for police, research and rescue, counter-different patrols and internal security missions. The cutter recently underwent a lifespan extension program, with a large part of its transferred crew from the retired Cup USCGC.
For Haitians aboard the intercepted ship, however, the trip reflects a dark choice: risking their lives at sea or staying trapped in a country where gangs control large area of territory, basic services have collapsed and violence continues to move tens of thousands of others each month.
“The Haiti crisis continues for too long, and it's embarrassing,” said Guilaine Brutus, a specialist in social development and co-host of 1804 Podcast Renaissance. “Haitians must accept that the simple fact of claiming that we are capable has not prevented the country from collapsing. Everyone must share the blame and start acting as if we are intelligent, as we say. ”
