SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, May 3, CMC – The United States Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agency on Friday said five Haitian nationals were among 42 migrants apprehended after an “unlawful migration voyage vessel” landed at Survival Beach in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, last week.
CBP said it, along with a US Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk aircrew, US Coast Guard Base Borinquen personnel and local agency responders medevacked five migrants after they landed on the beach.
Border Patrol agents apprehended the 42 migrants, which also included 33 Dominican Republic nationals and one Ecuadorian.
The five migrants who required medical assistance were transported to a local hospital by Emergency Medical Services personnel at the scene.
According to reports – Coast Guard watchstanders at Sector San Juan received a communication from Puerto Rico Police Joint Forces of Rapid Action of a 30-foot vessel approaching the Aguadilla shoreline Wednesday morning.
Due to the risks associated with the overloaded makeshift vessel approaching the rocky shoreline, CBP said a Coast Guard MH-60T Jayhawk aircrew was launched to provide rescue support .
Following landfall, CBP said its agents confirmed that all passengers were able to disembark the vessel and that there were no people in the sea.
“As a result of the difficult mountainous and rocky terrain, Border Patrol agents requested medevac assistance for two migrants who were unresponsive and one other who sustained a leg injury,” CBP said.
“The Coast Guard aircrew lowered their rescue swimmer to the beach area who worked with Border Patrol agents to prepare a rescue litter and hoist one of the unresponsive migrants aboard the aircraft,” it added.
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