Washington, March 8 (BNA) US authorities are investigating what appears to be one of the largest human smuggling attempts off the coast of the United States in years, after a boat filled with 356 Haitian immigrants ran aground in the Florida Keys.
Of the passengers, 158 jumped out of the boat and tried to swim towards shore at Key Largo despite the rough seas. They were rescued from the water and held by the US Border Patrol, according to US Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Reuters reported that 198 others remained on the boat and were detained by the US Coast Guard.
A CBP spokesperson said several migrants were taken to hospital with minor injuries but were released immediately.
No deaths were reported, unlike the January incident, when a migrant boat capsized near the Bahamas in raging waves, leaving only one known survivor, one dead and 38 missing.
A few days later, the US Coast Guard intercepted 191 Haitian immigrants aboard an overloaded sailing ship believed to be bound for Florida.
And boat crossings of Haitian migrants have increased, as the Caribbean island nation faces deepening economic and political crises, as well as gang-linked kidnappings.
The Coast Guard said it has rescued 1,152 Haitians since October, in addition to the 3,900 that have been recovered at sea over the past five years.
Images released Sunday by Border Patrol Chief Walter Slusar from the Miami sector of the Border Patrol show a boat tilted perilously to one side in the water with passengers dangling from the ledge and a group of migrants ashore wrapped in towels.
Customs and Border Protection said immigrants detained by border guards would be placed in deportation proceedings, while those detained by the coast guard would be returned to Haiti.
In August 2021, the administration of President Joe Biden granted deportation relief and access to work permits for an estimated 155,000 Haitians already in the United States.
But the administration quickly expelled Haitian asylum seekers under rules aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19. Thousands were expelled after crossing the US-Mexico border in September and set up camp under a bridge in Del Rio, Texas.
MI