It is the second time in less than a week that a large group of migrants has been returned to Haiti, which is struggling to recover from a 7.0 earthquake estimated to have killed more than 200,000 people.

The group dropped off at Cap Haitien had been located Saturday just north of Isle de la Tortue aboard an overloaded sail freighter that was taking on water, according to a press release.

Haitian leaders in Miami have said such operations are "inhumane." The Haitian-American Grassroots Coalition has asked the Obama administration to work with other countries that might accept Haitian migrants.

The US Coast Guard repatriated another 78 migrants on Thursday after local authorities stopped an overloaded sail freighter near the Bahamas.

The US has increased patrols in the Caribbean since the January 12 earthquake, but officials say they have not seen an increase in migration by sea from Haiti.