Haitians trying to enter the U.S. illegally through Puerto Rico skyrocketed

The number of Haitians entering the US through Puerto Rico has been increasing significantly since 2011. Then the number of Haitians that made it to the US via Dominican Republic through to Puerto Rico was 12, and as of last year the number had shot up to 1,760, according to the US Coast Guard statistics.

In a statement to CBS, Captain Mark Fedor of the Coast Guard said that this huge number of illegal Haiti immigrants making their way to the US was a new phenomenon. He said that smugglers from the Dominican Republic were offering their services to Haitians, claiming to smuggle them to the US through a shorter way which is the Dominican Republic, to Puerto Rico and then to Mona Pass.

The immigrants are usually dropped off at the Mona Island by the Dominican smugglers, which is a deserted island in Puerto Rico. Mona Island is 40 miles away from the Dominican coast. The hardest part is to make it through the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico. Lolo Sterne, Haiti's Office of Migration coordinator, said once in Puerto Rico, it's almost like you are already in the US.

When in Puerto Rico, these illegal immigrants move around different places in the US using just theirs driver's license as identification. They don't have to worry about anyone asking them to show them their passport.

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