A harrowing scene unfolded as 158 Haitian migrants jumped off a grounded boat, swimming to shore at Ocean Reef Club in North Key Largo on Sunday afternoon. But 198 more remained on the boat as various agencies responded to the suspected human smuggling event.
It’s one of the largest migrant landings seen by officials in recent memory. Chief Border Patrol Agent Walter Slosar said via statement on Monday night that there were no serious injuries or fatalities associated with this smuggling venture.
“The criminal organizations that overload these vessels sacrifice the safety of the migrants for the sake of profits,” he said in a statement. “The coordinated and timely response of the U.S. Border Patrol and our federal, state, and local partners potentially saved the lives of these migrants today.”
Many residents on land inside the gated community in North Key Largo watched as the U.S. Coast Guard, CBP, Florida Fish & Wildlife, Monroe County and Miami-Dade sheriffs, Ocean Reef Fire Rescue and other agencies arrived at what one official called a “chaotic scene.”
A total of 158 migrants were rescued from the water, and then evaluated by Emergency Medical Services on scene. All 158 Haitian migrants rescued were then taken into U.S. Border Patrol custody. They will be interviewed and processed for removal proceedings, CBP says.
An additional 198 migrants remained onboard the vessel and were safely removed from the vessel and taken into custody by the U.S. Coast Guard. They remain on a U.S. Coast Guard cutter and are pending repatriation to Haiti.
Once aboard a Coast Guard cutter, all migrants receive food, water, shelter and basic medical attention. Migrants attempting to enter the United States illegally by sea can expect to be repatriated, regardless of their nationality.
Jason Rafter, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation public information officer, said on Monday that the boat the Haitians arrived on remains grounded just off Ocean Reef Club. He said a contractor will be hired to take the fuel and oil off the boat.
“The vessel will stay put for now. Eventually it will become a derelict vessel by the state. It’ll go into the system,” he said. “It’s possible we can come up with a solution. For right now, that’s what we’re going to do.”
Migrant landings in the Florida Keys are rising to the point where it drew a meeting recently between Monroe County Emergency Management and Ocean Reef Community Association officials. Some 18 agencies from the local, state and federal level were in attendance to discuss the uptick.
In January, CBP and the Coast Guard responded to human smuggling via water near Ocean Reef. A total of 176 migrants were rescued from a 60-foot wooden boat. The vessel was initially detected by a Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations flight crew approximately 25 miles northeast of Anguilla Cay, Bahamas. Sector Key West watchstanders diverted Coast Guard Cutter Paul Clark’s crew to the location of the vessel. Ten were reportedly hospitalized. Migrants faced 4- to 6-foot seas and 20 mph winds.
“It is extremely dangerous to navigate the Florida Straits in an unseaworthy vessel, especially off the Florida Keys where the water is extra treacherous with shoals and reefs,” said U.S. Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer James Kinney, command duty officer, Sector Key West.
Last December, a little more than 50 Haitians landed on Card Sound Road in Key Largo. Months before that, 42 Haitian immigrants were found in another maritime human smuggling case near Key Biscayne in August.
In Haiti, worker protests erupted in recent weeks, leading to confrontations with police. One protest on Feb. 23 led Haitian police to open fire on demonstrators who were demanding higher wages, according to a report by Reuters. Haiti upped the minimum wage by more than 50% following demonstrations by clothes workers voicing concern over rising living costs.
According to the nonprofit Haiti Partners, 59% of the population lives on less than $2 per day. Gross National Income per capita is $1,730. The average for Caribbean/Latin American developing countries is $14,098.
Exacerbating the pre existing vulnerabilities were the recent assasination of Haiti President Jovenel Moise on July 7, 2021, a rise in gang violence since June 2021 that’s affected 1.5 million people and a 7.2-magnitude earthquake in August that struck southwest Haiti. On top of that, the country experienced a direct hit from Tropical Depression Grace in August.
With Haitian migrant landings also come those fleeing Cuba. Last month, 42 Cubans were repatriated following two interdictions of undocumented migrants off the coasts of Sugarloaf and Long Key.
Since Oct. 1, 2021, Coast Guard crews have rescued 1,152 Haitians compared to 1,527 Haitian migrants in Fiscal Year 2021 and 418 Haitian Migrants in Fiscal Year 2020. Since Oct. 1, 2021, Coast Guard crews interdicted 800 Cubans.
Agencies who assisted with the rescue: U.S Coast Guard Station Islamorada, Station Miami Beach, Station Marathon and Air Station Miami; U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Robert Yered, Cutter William Trump and Cutter Venturous; U.S. Border Patrol; Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations; Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations; Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; Monroe County Sheriff’s Office; Miami-Dade Fire Rescue; and Biscayne National Park Service.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
