Watch: US Coast Guard Detains 396 Haitian Migrants From Overloaded 50-Foot Boat Near Bahamas

The US Coast Guard apprehended nearly 400 Haitian migrants from an overcrowded and dangerous 50-foot sailboat near the Bahamas. The illegal migrants will be transferred to the Bahamian authorities by the USCG Southeast crews.

According to Bahamian authorities, 396 Haitian migrants were detained close to the isolated Cay Sal island, which is located halfway between Florida and Cuba.

The incident happened on January 21, when the Coast Guard Cutter Legare's crew worked with the Royal Bahamas Defense Force to catch up with the "unsafe, overloaded Haitian sailing vessel."

#Breaking @USCG Cutter Legare's crew assisted @TheRBDF in stopping an unsafe, overloaded Haitian sailing vessel, Sat.

There were more than 390 people aboard. #USCG crews will transfer the people to Bahamian authorities.#DontTakeToTheSea @USEmbassyNassau @USEmbassyHaiti pic.twitter.com/wtZdtEJQF4

— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) January 23, 2023

Several overloaded Haitian freighters packed with people leaving Haiti have shown up off the coast of the island chain since November 2021.

Meanwhile, the number of migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela caught crossing the US-Mexico border dropped off dramatically from December to January following new rules that expel them back to Mexico, the US Department of Homeland Security said.

US authorities encountered a daily average of just 115 migrants from those countries over a week-long period ending on January 24, down from an average 3,367 in the week to December 11, a 97% drop, DHS said on Wednesday.

On January 5, the administration of Democratic President Joe Biden announced that migrants from Cuba, Haiti, and Nicaragua would be expelled to Mexico without the chance to seek US asylum under Title 42.

(With inputs from agencies)