Before dawn on Wednesday, 118 Haitian migrants reached the shores of Key West, Florida, marking the largest single arrival this fiscal year and prompting a swift response from Border Patrol and local law enforcement.
A sailboat carrying 118 Haitian migrants reached the shores of Key West, Florida, just before daybreak on Wednesday. In the early morning darkness, the migrants disembarked and made a run for the shoreline, according to the Border Patrol.
Shortly after 4:00 a.m., Miami Sector Border Patrol agents, with assistance from state and local law enforcement, including the Key West Police Department and the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, apprehended the migrants. Local EMS technicians examined and medically cleared them at the scene. The migrants reported spending seven days at sea on their journey to the United States. Border Patrol officials transported them to various facilities in the region for processing and disposition of their immigration cases.
Samuel Briggs II, Chief Patrol Agent of the Border Patrol’s Miami Sector, featured a photo of the sailboat on an X post. An image taken by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office shows the migrants seated in bleachers awaiting transport by the Border Patrol.
According to Customs and Border Protection (CBP), this group is the largest single group of Haitian migrants to make landfall in Florida this fiscal year. Despite ongoing civil unrest and turmoil in Haiti, predictions of a large influx of Haitian migrants have not materialized. The Miami Border Patrol sector has encountered only 30 Haitian migrants since October.
In preparation for a potential surge, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ordered additional state assets to the Keys and southern waters of Florida in March. Over 250 law enforcement officers and soldiers, along with air and sea craft, are currently deployed as part of DeSantis’ response force.
The rampant gang violence and unrest in Haiti have prompted United Nations intervention. On Wednesday, several hundred Kenyan police officers met with Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille before their deployment to combat gang violence. These officers are part of a United Nations-backed response force of 2,500 members, including police officers and soldiers from the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Chad, and Jamaica.
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