El Caribe reports that the US Coast Guard has intercepted 1,100 Dominicans attempting to make the hazardous crossing of the Mona Passage to Puerto Rico. This represents a sharp rise in the number of would-be illegal immigrants to the neighboring island. The figure for January alone equals 74% of the total number of such detainees over the previous 12 months, meaning that an average of 39 people each day have been thwarted in their attempts to make the crossing. In addition to these statistics, it is reported that this week saw two people die in the attempt. It must be emphasized that the numbers quoted here do not include the unknown numbers of people who succeed in their endeavor and arrive on Puerto Rican shores undetected. In one incident yesterday, Coast Guard officials stopped a group of 27 illegal voyagers who fought them off with machetes, knives and sticks, forcing the officials to call for reinforcements. In this case the individuals concerned were taken into custody, but in the vast majority of cases the migrants are repatriated immediately. The Dominican navy confirms there has been an increase in the number of illegal crossings. It is believed that the numbers began to escalate in October 2003, when inflation began to eat away at family finances. El Caribe’s editorial observes that there is no similar record of the number of middle-class Dominicans who have left the country for similar reasons, but using legal and less risky methods.