WILLEMSTAD – On Tuesday, August 19, the Coast Guard intercepted a suspicious vessel heading toward Curaçao, resulting in the detention of 19 undocumented migrants. 

The Maritime Operations Center of the Coast Guard detected the vessel in the afternoon hours and immediately deployed a Metal Shark unit to the area. A Coast Guard helicopter was also dispatched to provide aerial identification of the boat. 

Upon inspection, authorities found 15 Venezuelan men, 3 Venezuelan women, and 1 Colombian man on board. 

The group was taken into custody and has since been transferred to the Immigration Service for further processing. 

The interception highlights the ongoing migration pressures in the southern Caribbean, where Curaçao frequently faces attempts by migrants from Venezuela and neighboring countries to reach its shores by sea.