The International Information Programs has additional information on Chinese Alien Smuggling . In 1999 and 2000, Coast Guard cutters on Counterdrug patrol in the Eastern Pacific have encountered increasing numbers of migrants being smuggled from Ecuador to points in Central America and Mexico. While this may not have a direct connection to the U.S., the Coast Guard acts for humanitarian reasons. Most of these vessels do not have the proper conditions to transport these migrants and lack the safety equipment in the event of an emergency. The Coast Guard works with the flag state of the vessels and other countries to escort the vessels to the closest safe port.
Undocumented migrants continue to pose a threat to the U.S. today.
While the primary threat comes from Haiti , the Dominican Republic , the People's Republic of China , and Cuba , the Coast Guard has interdicted migrants from numerous nationalities throughout the world.