POMPANO BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - Hillsboro Beach Police officers, along with the Broward Sheriff’s Office, stopped a vessel with a large group of migrants on board.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, a total of 18 migrants from Haiti, the Bahamas and Jamaica traveled in a twin-engine boat and arrived ashore on Hillsboro Beach, near the 1000 block of A1A, early Friday morning.
7SkyForce HD hovered over the scene where authorities could be seen near the vessel.
“Once agents arrived on scene, they discovered the vessel, which was beached by the group of migrants,” said CBP Assistant Chief Adam Hoffner.
Police said some of the migrants made a pit stop at a nearby storage shed. Inside, officials found jugs of water and scattered clothing, as well as a bathroom that the migrants used.
Construction workers said they also saw the migrants in the shed for some time before they started to disperse.
Journeys like the one the migrants took are common, but CBP officials said this one stands out.
“This particular event did have a larger group than normal; 18 subjects making landfall is a significant amount,” said Hoffner.
The overnight trip was also extremely dangerous. Investigators said the migrants on board are lucky to have made it to shore safely.
“The smugglers charged them a fee to come from the Bahamas, and the smugglers will put in as many people on the vessels as they can in order to maximize their profits, and in this case potentially risking the lives of the migrants by overloading the vessel.”
The group has since been turned over to Border Patrol officials and will be processed for removal proceedings, essentially meaning that they will be sent back home.
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