Boat carrying 396 Haitian migrants intercepted by US Coast Guard

A 50ft boat carrying almost 400 Haitian people was intercepted by the US Coast Guard (USCG) near the Bahamas on Saturday, 21 January.

Bahamian officials said it was one of the biggest human smuggling incidents in the region.

It comes as thousands of Haitians are fleeing a spike in gang violence and political instability in the country, which has no democratically-elected institutions.

The migrants were detained to the Cay Sal island between Florida and Cuba.

Immigration officials in the Bahamas said the migrants will be processed on the island of Inagua before being repatriated.

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