US Coast Guard intercepts hundreds of migrants heading for American shores

The US Coast Guard busted 305 migrants from the Bahamas and Haiti during Operation Vigilant Sentry

The major operation last week came on the heels of President Biden’s controversial and hotly debated immigration policy, enacted June 4, that bars asylum for migrants who illegally enter the U.S. by land or sea. “Irregular maritime migration is unlawful and extremely dangerous,” Coast Guard Enforcement Officer Lt. Nick Fujimoto said in a statement Tuesday. “The OVS maritime border security mission is often equal parts law enforcement and humanitarian response, especially as we enter hurricane season and marine weather becomes more severe and unpredictable.”

The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Thetis brought 196 people back to the war-torn country of Haiti on Monday after intercepting two migrant voyage last Wednesday and Thursday.

The other 109 migrants were intercepted by crews of the Coast Guard Cutter Raymond Evans and Cutter Richard Etheridge and handed to the Royal Bahamas Defense Force on Sunday.

his is the latest in an annual program called Operation Vigilant Safety (OVS), which is a Homeland Task Force made up of several federal agencies created to monitor and quickly respond to maritime migration originating from the Caribbean.

“The primary objectives of OVS are to protect the safety of life at sea and to deter and dissuade mass migration,” Homeland Security wrote on its website.