U.S. Coast Guard returns fleeing migrants to Haiti after spotting overcrowded vessel

Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald on Sep 2, 2025

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The U.S. Coast Guard on Tuesday repatriated nearly 200 migrants back to Haiti after they were interdicted at sea approximately 40 miles north of Cap-Haïtien.

The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Spencer were notified on Friday of an overloaded vessel with 191 migrant onboard being disabled in international waters.

“The Coast Guard is committed to our mission to safeguard America by securing our maritime borders and preventing illegal entry into the United States and its territories,” Lt. Cmdr. Cory Arsenault, Coast Guard liaison officer to the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince said in a statement. “Anyone attempting to enter the United States illegally by sea will be interdicted and repatriated, consistent with U.S. law and policy.”

The Coast Guard did not say where the migrants were headed. In addition to trying to reach the Florida Straits, migrants have also been forcibly returned in recent months from the neighboring Turks and Caicos and The Bahamas. The Dominican Republic, which shares a land border with Haiti, accounts for the largest share of Haitians who are forcibly returned, with nearly 200,000 Haitians sent back last year.

With more than 1.3 million Haitians internally displaced inside Haiti due to armed gangs, and 90% of the capital under gang control, Haitians continue to flee.

Since the beginning of fiscal year 2025 on Oct. 1, Coast Guard crews have repatriated 603 Haitians, compared to 857 in FY24.

The Haitians, once onboard the U.S. Coast Guard, were processed to determine their identity and provided food, water, shelter and basic medical attention before being returned to Haiti.

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