Coordinated Actions Lead to Rescues in South Florida

PEMBROKE PINES, Florida – Over the weekend, U.S. Border Patrol brokers assigned to the Miami Sector together with help from U.S. Customs and Border Safety’s Air and Marine Operations, U.S. Coast Guard, and native legislation enforcement companions responded to 5 maritime smuggling occasions in southern Florida which resulted within the arrest of 32 Cuban noncitizens.  

The primary incident occurred on April 29, 2022, when six Cuban nationals arrived on Miami Seaside round 10:00 a.m. on a do-it-yourself vessel. The people reported that they spent almost two weeks at sea onboard their do-it-yourself vessel.

A second incident occurred in Islamorada, Florida, when three Cuban nationals arrived on a small vessel. The people reported that they encountered inclement climate and have been briefly stranded on an uninhabited island off the coast of Cuba.   

The remaining three incidents occurred on April 30, 2022, within the Marquesas Keys; a collection of uninhabited islands positioned 20 miles west of Key West, Florida. U.S. Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fee assisted with the rescue of 21 Cuban noncitizens who made landfall on two do-it-yourself vessels round 9:00 a.m. On the scene, U.S. Coast Guard companions accomplished a medical evaluation. Two of the people have been transferred by the U.S. Coast Guard to a neighborhood hospital in Key West, Florida, the place they have been subsequently handled and launched to U.S. Border Patrol custody.   

“As soon as once more, I’m extraordinarily happy with the coordinated actions with our native, state, and federal companion companies that led to the profitable rescue of those migrants, particularly those that have been stranded on uninhabited islands. Because the summer season months method and temperatures rise this turns into an more and more extra harmful journey. We encourage migrants to keep away from risking their lives by taking to the seas or falling prey to unscrupulous smugglers who make use of doubtlessly perilous ways to keep away from detection,” stated Walter N. Slosar, Chief Patrol Agent, U.S. Border Patrol, Miami Sector.

All 32 Cuban migrants have been taken into U.S. Border Patrol custody for additional processing and shall be turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody.

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-CBP-