The maritime surge continues. On Monday, March 14, CBP, Coast Guard, and local and Florida state officials arrested 123 Haitian nationals at Summerland Key, Florida. The illegals’ boat had run aground near a residential area, and the migrants had made their way successfully to shore. They were apprehended without incident, and a few required assistance for dehydration. They told officials they had left Haiti’s La Tortue Island on March 9.
Walter N. Slosar, Chief Patrol Agent, U.S. Border Patrol said the migrants would be detained and processed for removal proceedings. They were transported to the Marathon and Dania Beach Border Patrol Stations where they were to be turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Associated Press on March 15 published a piece titled, “Haitians aiming for Florida Keys outpace 2021 migration,” declaring:
Haitian migrants are reaching Florida’s shores in large numbers as human smuggling operations ramp up, outpacing last year’s migration waves.
The AP cites previous incidents, including one on March 6 where 356 Haitians were apprehended at Key Largo and a January 10 incident where 176 Haitians taken off an overloaded boat 25 miles from the Bahamas. Those join a January 22 incident where a boat carrying dozens of Haitians and others sank near Fort Pierce, Florida, with only one survivor and an October 8 incident involving a boat carrying 23 Haitians at Palm Beach.
According to the AP, the Coast Guard routinely returns people interdicted at sea to their country of origin, while those making it onto land are taken into custody and face deportation “unless they have viable asylum claims.”