A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations aircraft alerted Coast Guard District 7 of a suspected overloaded makeshift boat south of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Coast Guard District 7 diverted the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter William Trump to intercept the boat, which was carrying 182 Haitian migrants in an irregular migration situation.

Once transferred to the Coast Guard vessel, the migrants were processed to determine their identity and provided with food, water, and basic medical care before being repatriated to their home countries.

On Friday, September 27, the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Valiant repatriated the 182 Haitians to Haiti.

Note that the Coast Guard, along with its partners in the Homeland Security Task Force - Southeast, maintains a continuous presence with air, land, and maritime assets in the Straits of Florida, Windward Passage, Mona Passage, and the Caribbean Sea in support of Operation Vigilant Sentry, designed to protect the safety of life at sea while preventing the illegal maritime entry of migrants into the United States and its territories.

S/ iciHaiti