Haitian migrants arrive at a faster pace in the US shores

SUMMERLAND KEY, Florida, USA (AP) Haitian migrants are reaching Florida's shores in greater numbers with the acceleration of smuggling operations, exceeding the pace of last year.

Some 140 Haitians landed Monday in Summerland Cay, about 20 miles from Key West, and Monroe County police worked with federal agents to prosecute them.

This month, a wooden boat with hundreds of migrants ran aground in shallow waters off Cayo Largo and 163 people swam to the coast near the Ocean Reef Club. Many received medical treatment, federal authorities said.

Another vessel with 176 Haitians on board was stopped in January near the Florida Keys, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

The Customs and Border Protection Office is leading all three investigations.

The Coast Guard has stopped other Haitian vessels sailing near the Bahamas with dozens of migrants. On Sunday, the agency transferred 127 Haitians and three Cubans to Bahamian authorities after picking them up at two separate instances near Anguilla Cay.

On February 28, a sailboat with 179persons on board was spotted about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Andros Island, Bahamas. On Friday, the Coast Guard stopped another Haitian vessel with 123 people on board, including 39 minors, about 16 kilometers (10 miles) from Anguilla.

“The Coast Guard maintains a persistent presence patrolling the waters around Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas to help prevent loss of life,” Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander Salmee Briggs said in a press release. “Going out to sea is very dangerous and we call on them not to risk their lives and those of their loved ones.”

So far this fiscal year, which began on October 1, the Coast Guard has rescued 1,193 Haitians. That compared to 1,527 Haitians in the entire fiscal year 2021, 418 in 2020 and 932 in 2019, the agency said.