Migrants land on Virginia Key after swimming to shore; officials rescuing others from boat

A group of migrants landed Thursday afternoon on Virginia Key, a barrier island near Key Biscayne.

Some jumped into the water off the boat and swam to shore, U.S. Coast Guard Southeast officials said in a tweet about 4 p.m. Officials were still rescuing others who stayed on the boat, which appeared to be a sailboat, shortly before 6 p.m.

Coast Guard officials did not say how many people swam to shore or were on the boat, or what their nationalities are. WSVN-Ch.7 reported that officials said at least 25 people swam to shore while about 40 others stayed on the boat.

Several migrants landed on Virginia Key Thursday, Jan. 12, 2023, according to U.S. Coast Guard Southeast officials. Others were being rescued from a boat. (U.S. Coast Guard Southeast 7th District)

Four children were among those who swam to shore, Ch. 7 reported. One person was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital to be treated for hypothermia, according to the station.

Spokespersons for U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to emails seeking information Thursday evening.

Thursday’s landing comes two days after another group of migrants came ashore on Fort Lauderdale beach in the 700 block of Seabreeze Boulevard. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials took at least 12 people from Haiti, Brazil and the Bahamas into custody, Miami Sector Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar said in a tweet.

There were believed to be at least 25 people who came ashore, according to Fort Lauderdale Police. As of Thursday afternoon, it was unclear what happened to the other 13 migrants.

A total of 19 Cuban migrants landed in Key Colony Beach in the Middle Keys on Tuesday, Slosar said in a tweet.

The landings are the latest since Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he activated the Florida National Guard Friday. DeSantis in his order declared a state of emergency for Florida, citing landings of over 400 people at Dry Tortugas National Park on New Year’s weekend and a group of 45 migrants who landed more recently in the Florida Keys.

Under DeSantis’ order, Florida National Guardsmen and officials from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Florida Highway Patrol will “increase coastal vigilance and provide improved situational awareness on migrant activities,” the Florida Division of Emergency Management said in a statement Tuesday.

The governor, who has widely been viewed as a contender for the 2024 presidential nomination, blasted President Joe Biden’s immigration policies in his order, faulting the president’s administration for its “inadequate” response. Between August 2022 and Jan. 6, over 8,000 migrants have been interdicted by federal, state and local officials in the waters off of Florida, DeSantis’ order said.

Many migrants attempting to reach the United States are from Cuba and Haiti. The number of Coast Guard interdictions since the start of the fiscal year in October 2022 has skyrocketed compared to previous years.

The Coast Guard repatriated 177 Cubans on Thursday after multiple interdictions off the coast of Florida. As of Thursday, Coast Guard officials have interdicted 4,917 Cubans since Oct. 1, 2022, which is already higher than the total number of interdictions in the entirety of fiscal years 2017 through 2021 combined, according to the agency’s statistics. In fiscal year 2022, officials interdicted 6,182 Cubans.

Officials repatriated 83 Haitians aboard a Coast Guard cutter Monday after multiple interdictions, the agency said in a statement. Since Oct. 1, 2022, nearly 1,200 Haitians have been interdicted, compared to 7,175 in fiscal year 2022 and 1,527 in fiscal year 2021.

The latest effort to return Cuban migrants came just after President Joe Biden’s administration began a new policy to start turning back Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans at the Texas border, along with Venezuelans, who arrive illegally.

The administration also said it would offer humanitarian parole for up to 30,000 people a month from those four countries if they apply online, pay their airfare and find a financial sponsor. The U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba recently resumed processing migrant visas.

The Florida National Guard announced Wednesday that it was mobilizing 12 military planes and approximately 150 troops to help south Florida authorities respond to “mass migration impacting the area.”

“The Florida National Guard supports and follows orders of our Commander in Chief, Governor Ron DeSantis,” the Guard said in a statement.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

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