Authorities reported that a total of 152 migrant boats were removed from local beaches
Nearly 10,000 migrants were intercepted and a total of 5,443 detained when they tried to reach the Florida coast illegally in the last six months, according to a statement released Thursday by the state government.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) published an update on the increase in control of mass migration along the state’s coast that also reveals that a total of 152 migrant boats were removed from beaches local.
Vessels located in Florida include 47 at Dry Tortugas, an islet located about 109 km west of Key West in the Gulf of Mexico.
Seizures so far in 2023 include 66 kilograms of cocaine, with an estimated value of $2.3 million on the black market, found off the coast of the Florida Keys.
The statement recalls that on January 6, the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, signed a declaration of state of emergency in response to the increase in migration along the coast of this state in the southeastern United States and ordered the deployment of the National Guard.
The FDEM reported a week ago the increase in control of its coasts in the face of “massive migration” detected in recent times.
FDEM is currently working with the Florida National Guard, Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Department of Law Enforcement, and the Highway Patrol to increase enforcement.
Since October 1, 2022, the Miami sector of the Border Patrol (CBP) experienced an increase compared to the previous year of up to 400% of people who arrived by sea irregularly and were detained upon disembarking.