Hundreds of migrants arrived in the Florida Keys over the weekend in several boat landings, prompting a local sheriff to criticize the federal response to the “mass migration crisis.”
Over the weekend, 300 migrants arrived at Dry Tortugas National Park, located west of Key West, the National Park Service said. On Sunday, park officials said the park has seen an increase in the arrival of people from Cuba, prompting its closure for the next few days.
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The Miami sector of the US Border Patrol found five migrant boats in the Florida Keys during the last 24 hours before New Year’s Eve. Over the weekend, hundreds of migrants landed in the Florida Keys.
(U.S. Border Patrol Miami Sector/Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar)
“The closure, which is expected to last several days, is necessary for the safety of visitors and staff due to the resources and space needed to care for migrants,” the park tweeted Monday. “Concession-operated ferry and seaplane services are temporarily suspended.”
The migrants were being given food, water and basic medical care until the Department of Homeland Security takes the initiative to care for them.
Separately, more than 160 immigrants landed in the Middle and Upper Keys, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said Monday. At least 88 of the immigrants were from Cuba, the US Customs and Border Protection said.
The cuban immigrants they arrived in five boat landings, Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar said.
The US Border Patrol told the sheriff’s office that a federal response to the immigrant landings might have to wait a day, the sheriff’s office said.
“The arrival of refugees requires a great deal of Sheriff’s Office resources as we help our federal law enforcement partners ensure migrants are in good health and safety,” said the Monroe County Sheriff. , Rick Ramsey. “This shows the lack of a work plan on the part of the federal government to deal with a massive migration problem that was foreseeable.”
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The exodus of people fleeing Cuba due to the USA hit an all-time high this year as the Caribbean country intensifies its brutal crackdown on citizens, and the US southern border crisis continues to spiral.
Border authorities registered more than 227,000 Cubans who attempted to enter the United States illegally between December 2021 and 2022.
Fox News. Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
