The US Coast Guard intercepted 66 migrants aboard a human smuggling boat attempting to illegally reach Puerto Rico on Friday, October 16, 2026. A Coast Guard airplane patrolling the treacherous waters of the Mona Passage first spotted the dangerously overloaded vessel 70 nautical miles northwest of Aguadilla and reported the sighting to Coast Guard Sector San Juan, which dispatched the Cutter Winslow Griesser and a rescue helicopter to the scene.
A small boat crew from the Winslow Griesser reached the overcrowded vessel and safely transferred all 66 aboard to the cutter, preventing a likely tragedy. Those aboard the smuggling boat included 55 men and four women who claimed to be Dominican Republic nationals, and six men and a woman who claimed to be Haitian nationals.
“I’m proud of my crew and the Coast Guard aircrews for stopping what could have been a treacherous journey for all onboard an overloaded migrant vessel. They saved 66 people from a dangerously overloaded vessel attempting to transit across a vast ocean with little to no safety equipment and no regard to safety of human life at sea.” - Lt. Alex Kearney, Commanding Officer, Coast Guard Cutter Winslow Griesser
Dominican Republic Navy vessels responded to the scene shortly afterward and took custody of 63 of those aboard the smuggling boat.
The Coast Guard, along with its Operation Vigilant Sentry and Operation Bahamas, Turks and Caicos partners, maintains a continual presence with air, land, and sea assets in the Florida Straits, Windward Passage, Mona Passage, and the Caribbean.
This multiagency approach is part of a Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) designed to protect life at sea while preventing unlawful maritime entry into the United States and its territories.
HSTF San Juan comprises agents and officers from the following federal partners: FBI, ICE-HSI, CBP (OFO, AMO and Border Patrol), the U.S. Marshals Service for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, DEA, ATF, IRS, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Department of State, and the U.S. Secret Service, the Puerto Rico/U.S. Virgin Islands HIDTA, TSA, FAA, and the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Districts of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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