MIAMI, CMC — The United States Coast Guard says it has repatriated 14 Haitians after their vessel was intercepted in the seas off Florida.

The Coast Guard said the Haitians were returned to Cap Haitien after it had “received notification of a suspected migrant vessel from the Coast Guard cutter Bluefin, east of Lake Worth Inlet, Florida.

“Migrants attempting to illegally enter the United States by boat often travel aboard dangerously overloaded and ill-equipped vessels,” said Captain Brendan McPherson, 7th Coast Guard District chief of enforcement.

“People aboard these vessels are putting their lives at extreme risk, so the Coast Guard with our partner agencies will continue to patrol vigilantly to rescue and repatriate undocumented migrants who take to the sea.

“Once aboard a Coast Guard cutter, all migrants receive food, water, shelter and basic medical attention,” McPherson said.