More than 300 Haitian migrants landed in a vessel near Key Largo off of Ocean Reef on Saturday at approximately 4:30 p.m. according to the chief of the U.S. Border Patrol Miami sector. NBC 6’s Cristian Benavides has the latest.
More than 300 Haitian migrants landed in a vessel near Key Largo off of Ocean Reef on Saturday at approximately 4:30 p.m. according to the chief of the U.S. Border Patrol Miami sector.
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WATCH HEREUnited States Border Patrol Miami sector took 113 Haitian migrants who jumped off the boat into custody, Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar said.
200 of the remaining migrants who stayed onboard the vessel were taken into custody by the United States Coast Guard.
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"We are working to keep them safe, clean, fed, and healthy," Slosar said in a tweet.
Slosar said they are working to find out exactly who the migrants are and details about their journey.
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According to officials, none of the migrants were seriously hurt and it could have ended a lot worse. U.S. Customs and Border Protection Division Chief Adam Hoffner said the dangerous voyage was likely organized by smugglers.
"We conducted a medical screening of all of the migrants, most had some mild effects from dehydration. Four of them were taken to a local hospital and were treated for dehydration. We did identify two suspected smugglers possibly associated with this event," Hoffner said.
"The smugglers have no regard for the migrants or their lives. The more migrants they put on board their boat, the more money they make," Hoffner said.
This is a dangerous trend that has been on the rise, Hoffner said.
The United States Border Patrol Miami sector is investigating with Homeland Security to identify the smugglers who crammed the migrants onto the vessel.
