Migrant woman dies after U.S. Coast Guard stops vessel carrying 54

March 3 (UPI) -- A Haitian migrant was found unresponsive aboard a U.S. Coast Guard cutter and pronounced dead after the Coast Guard stopped a vessel carrying 54 migrants off the coast of Florida.

The Coast Guard was made aware of a suspicious vessel at approximately 10:30 a.m. Monday about 2 miles off the coast of Florida and discovered 54 people aboard the vessel, 52 Haitian men, women and children, and two Bahamians.

On Wednesday, a 40-year-old Haitian woman was found unresponsive on a Coast Guard cutter. Efforts to resuscitate her were unsuccessful and she was pronounced dead, the Coast Guard said on Twitter.

Another woman was transported to receive care for symptoms of abdominal pain, the Coast Guard said in a news release.

The two Bahamians were repatriated to the Bahamas on Wednesday, and 49 Haitians were returned to Haiti aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Robert Yered Friday.

American policy towards Haitian migrants and asylum seekers has been denounced as cruel and discriminatory by Human Rights Watch.

Leaked documents from the Department of Homeland Security, reported on by Buzzfeed in 2021, show that the United States government is aware that Haitians face major risks to their personal safety.