Last week, U.S. officials indicated that smugglers abandoned 84 migrants from Haiti on a deserted island off the west coast of Puerto Rico.

Jeffrey Quinones, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said that Haitians were spotted by an aerial patrol of the U.S. Coast Guard on the island of Desecheo, about 13 miles from the mainland Puerto Rico. Two Coast Guard boats have taken them to Puerto Rico.

Mr. Quinones said, that it was not uncommon for smugglers, to leave migrants on small islands to the west of Puerto Rico, pretending these people, they had reached their destination.

He reported that two women were taken to hospital for medical treatment, but their lives were not in danger, the 82 other passengers were in good health and should be repatriated to Haiti shortly.

Recall that, hundreds of Haitians were arrested trying to illegally enter Puerto Rico this year.

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-8756-haiti-news-some-news-here-and-there.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-8424-haiti-social-108-illegal-haitian-migrants-intercepted-in-less-than-two-weeks.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-8072-haiti-social-71-illegal-haitian-migrants-detained-in-puerto-rico.html

SL/ HaitiLibre