SUMMERLAND KEY, Fla. (WSVN) — Dozens of migrants came ashore in the Florida Keys.
On Monday afternoon, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office reported 122 Haitian migrants coming ashore and gathering at an oceanfront home in Summerland Key.
The migrants are said to have traveled in a sailboat.
Summerland Key is approximately 20 miles east of Key West.
A photo provided by MCSO showed the migrants outside of the house.
MCSO officials said this is the second time in a little over two weeks that a group of Haitian migrants has come ashore in the Florida Keys.
7SkyForce hovered over the beach where the 122 migrants sat in front of some homes.
Border Patrol agents and MCSO deputies are helping to process the group who are said to have been out at sea for days.
The vessel the migrants came on was a sailboat equipped with an outboard engine. The boat was not big enough to safely have the amount of people they had on board.
This is a trend South Florida has endured for the last few months.
“It’s a great, coordinated response with our state, federal and local partners, making sure we get medical and safety checks, then get these individuals processed and transported to our station,” said U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Chief Patrol Agent Walter Slosar.
Last week, nearly 400 other migrants were stopped off the coast of the Ocean Reef community near Key Largo.
Many are in dire situations on the island and are willing to risk it all for a better life.
Since late 2021, officials told 7News that nearly 1,000 migrants have been intercepted in what they describe as a glowingly sophisticated organized smuggling operation, specifically coming out of the island of Haiti.
Human smuggling operations are charting less monitored waters and taking even more dangerous routes while utilizing GPS technology to avoid authorities. Some reports even suggest a wider network as smugglers have utilized other islands in the Caribbean for gas and other supplies.
Federal agents have remained in Summerland Key. Agents told 7News that four people were taken to the hospital due to dehydration.
Once all of the migrants have been processed, they will be held in ether Marathon or Dania Beach and brought back to Haiti.
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