PALM BEACH, Fla. — The U.S. Coast Guard and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations interdicted 23 undocumented Haitian migrants and two Bahamian suspected smugglers approximately 10 miles east of Palm Beach on Friday.
During the interdiction, crews determined that this was an illegal migrant smuggling operation involving 15 Haitian male migrants, 8 female Haitian migrants and two Bahamian male suspected smugglers.
The Coast Guard Cutter Richard Etheridge (WPC-1102) transferred the two suspected smugglers to Customs and Border Protection for potential prosecution and repatriated 22 Haitian migrants. One female migrant was dedevaced by a Coast Guard Station Lake Worth Inlet 45-foot Response Boat.