AGUADILLA, Puerto Rico – U.S. Border Patrol Agents apprehended 39 non-citizens from the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Venezuela after their vessel landed Monday near the town of Isabela, in the northern coast.   

At approximately 1:00AM, a former Border Patrol agent notified Ramey Sector dispatch of a suspected migrant landing within the area of Jobos beach. 

Ramey Sector Border Patrol Agents along with the Isabela Municipal police, an Operation Stonegarden partner, found a 30-foot wooden makeshift “yola” type vessel with two outboard motors.   A search through the area yielded the arrest of 39 non-citizens: 23 adult men, 13 adult women from the Dominican Republic, 2 adult men from Haiti, and 1 adult woman from Venezuela.   

“Migrants do not need to risk their lives traversing the Mona Passage in the hands of ruthless smugglers, only to arrive at our coast and face the legal consequences of unlawful entry” stated Reggie Johnson, Acting Chief Patrol Agent for Ramey Sector. “Smugglers and bad actors continue to spread falsehoods and show complete disregard for the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable migrants.”

The undocumented non-citizens were transported to the Ramey Border Patrol Station for processing and removal proceedings.

The Ramey Sector is one of the twenty-one Sectors spread out across the United States. Encompassing the U.S. territorial islands of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, it is the only Border Patrol Sector located outside the continental United States. The Sector’s entire border area is made up of coastline and its area of responsibility is made up of some 6,000 square miles of land and water area, including the twelve-mile band of territorial water surrounding the Islands.

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is America's frontline: the nation's largest law enforcement organization and the world's first unified border management agency. The 65,000+ men and women of CBP protect America on the ground, in the air, and on the seas. We facilitate safe, lawful travel and trade and ensure our country's economic prosperity. We enhance the nation's security through innovation, intelligence, collaboration, and trust.