EXCLUSIVE - Florida's seaside border crisis worsens as Keys migrant landings soar 450%
The Battle to Patrol Florida’s Seaside Border – An In-Depth Look at Landing in Florida
Oct. 30, 2022, 4:00 PM PKT
KEY WEST FL. — It’s easy to see why the 180-mile stretch of blue-water Atlantic coast is a popular tourist destination.
If you look deeper, this arch of islands that runs along the Florida Straits is the Southernmost point, just 90 miles from Cuba. It also marks the spot where people from other countries are willing to travel on dangerous waters in exchange for the possibility of freedom on land.
They could spend several weeks at sea. “The dangers are what I see first,” said Assistant Chief Patrol Agent Adam Hoffner from U.S. Border Patrol’s Florida section.
According to him, the Florida Keys has seen an unusually high number of migrant arrivals. The Keys saw an increase in landings of more than 450% over October 2021.
“This is one of the largest landings I have ever seen. He said that it’s predominately Cuban or Haitian migration.
Hoffner reported that Border Patrol agents in Keys had reported 15 landings within the last four days, which left hundreds of illegal immigrants entering the state via sea. Many of them arrive in unsafe, homemade boats that can’t even carry people.
Although migrants can reach land at any hour, they are more likely to arrive at night when there is cooler weather and darker skies.
Hoffner’s crew received a call Tuesday morning at 1:30 AM. A total of 25-30 migrants had arrived at the Navy Base in Key West. As Hoffner and his crew responded to the scene, we joined them for the 50-minute drive.
Katie LaGrone, the Investigative Reporter, asked Agent Hoffner when he could sustain the activity they’d been seeing in the area for the past few months.
He stated, “We need to tighten up, and we work together with all our partners providing additional support.”
Several of the partners, including Key West police, were already there when we arrived.
25 Cuban women and men sat on the base looking exhausted. Some were even shoeless.
A 22-year-old woman spoke with us on camera. She said that their boat was having mechanical problems and would not stop if they let it go. She said that they were once surrounded by sharks at one point.
When she was asked if she was happy being in Florida, she sighed, laughed, and added, “Bueno Bueno.”
She stated that she arrived with her aunt and boyfriend, and she hopes to find work in the area so she can support her family back home.
Another man dressed in USA stars and stripes, said that he traveled dangerously to help his family and live a better life. After arriving, the man required medical attention as he had cut his hand while trying to grab a boat that no one could control.
Rugged and poor, the boat crashed onto the base at Navy.
According to the group, they paid $2000-$3,000 US Dollars each to get here. They will spend the next 1272 hours processing their paperwork before being released. However, they will be under federal surveillance as their immigration proceedings start.
They are joined by more than 100 Cubans who also reached shore in the Keys within 24 hours.
Agent Hoffner reported Tuesday afternoon that the area had seen an increase in migrant landings to 11, in less than 24 hours.
According to a federal database from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol in Florida reported over 35,000 encounters during the fiscal year 2022. This is nearly twice the number of encounters with migrants reported one year ago, when there were only 19,000 reported.
Agent Hoffner refused to discuss the politics of immigration, leaving that conversation to politicians.
He said, “We are aware that the political climate can change. But here at US Border Patrol we focus on our mission to border security and what it is we can here.”
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