(NewsNation) — As violence worsens in Haiti, the U.S. Coast Guard has been stepping up surveillance of the “maritime border,” the waters of the Caribbean that people are trying to cross to make it to America.
The most efficient way to spot would-be migrants at sea is the Coast Guard’s fleet of HC-144 Ocean Sentries and the C-27J Spartans. Flying at about 4,000 feet, crewmen eyeball the water and tiny islands looking for Florida-bound boats.
Sometimes they help surface ships intercept migrants. Other times they help the migrants, themselves.
“Just cruisin’ along and there’s two dudes standing on the rocks,” said Aviation maintenance technician James Abel. “We were able to drop a can … with some water and some food and a radio.”
He says announcements discouraging migrants from making the dangerous trip may have kept many out of danger. Even so, Abel says the people in charge of those boats are often professional smugglers who aren’t worried about getting caught.
They’re more worried about the weather and timing their journeys during times of calmer seas.