13792: (Chamberlain) U.S. Coast Guard intercepts 172 Dominican migrants (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Greg Chamberlain <GregChamberlain@compuserve.com>


     MIAMI, Nov 25 (Reuters) - The U.S. Coast Guard intercepted four boats
carrying a total of 172 illegal migrants from the Dominican Republic in the
last four days, the Coast Guard said on Monday.
     The migrants, who were all repatriated, were the latest in a steady
stream of people trying to get to the United States from the Dominican
Republic, Haiti and Cuba during November.
     Separately, authorities in the Dominican Republic said on Sunday that
one person died and 18 were injured when a boat packed with illegal
migrants capsized while trying to reach the U.S. Caribbean territory of
Puerto Rico.
     The Coast Guard said in a statement it had picked up 441 people from
the Dominican Republic, 296 Haitians and 25 Cubans in November.
     The Coast Guard patrols the Caribbean waters to look out for illegal
migrants trying to get to the United States. Most of those intercepted are
sent home.
     An exception is made for Cubans, who are deemed to be fleeing
communism and who are allowed to stay if they reach U.S. soil. But Cubans
are repatriated if they are caught at sea trying to come to the United
States without the right papers.
     Haiti and the Dominican Republic, which share the island of
Hispaniola, and Cuba are the most populous of the Caribbean nations, with a
total of some 26 million people. They are the countries that produce most
of the illegal migrants picked up by the Coast Guard at sea.
     In the case of boat from the Dominican Republic that capsized,
relatives of the 26-year-old woman who died said she had paid migrant
smugglers about $600 to make the journey.
     Police arrested seven people charged with organizing the abortive
journey over the Mona Passage to Puerto Rico, a stormy stretch of water
where hundreds of people have drowned.