Border Patrol Agents Thwart Illegal Alien Smuggling to Puerto Rico

Agents with the U.S. Border Patrol in Puerto Rico stopped a group of illegal aliens attempting to enter the country by boat.

The 11 illegal immigrants were from India and the Dominican Republic.

Agents assigned to the Ramey Border Patrol station in Puerto Rico received a call from a local resident about a possible smuggling operation where a group of illegal immigrants were attempting to land on the island. The aliens were trying to land on the U.S. Territory between Rincon and Aguada, Puerto Rico, according to information obtained by Breitbart Texas from U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials.

The agents apprehended eight men who claimed to be Indian nationals. Three additional individuals stated they were from the Dominican Republic.

The Border Patrol agents worked with officers from the Puerto Rico Police Department’s Joint Forces for Rapid Action and Park Rangers from the territory’s Department of Environmental and Natural Resources. The agents discovered a homemade “yola” boat on the shoreline and began searching for the newcomers.

All 11 were captured and transported to the Ramey Border Patrol station for background investigation and processing.

Border Patrol officials warn against illegal immigrants attempting to make the dangerous crossing to Puerto Rico as a strategy to get into the United States.

“Migrants that make an extremely long travel from India should be aware of the perils of coming all the way to the Caribbean to enter the United States,” Ramey Sector Chief Patrol Agent for the Ramey Sector in Aguadilla Ramiro Cerrillo said in the written statement. “Crossing the Mona Passage is a treacherous voyage filled with many dangers that pose a huge risk to migrants,” Cerrillo added.

The arrival of Indian nationals and citizens of the Dominican Republic in Puerto Rico is not an uncommon event. Just two weeks ago, Border Patrol agents arrested 20 illegal immigrants. Thirteen of those claimed to be citizens of the Dominican Republic (12 men and 1 woman). The other seven reported to be from India (6 men and 1 woman).

Earlier this year on February 1, agents captured four men from India and Pakistan. In October 2015, agents captured another thirteen illegal aliens from India.

The Border Patrol agents are working under the Operation Stonegarden Grant Program. The effort is designed to develop cooperation between the Border Patrol and local law enforcement agencies to help secure our national borders.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.