Coast Guard stops boat with 132 migrants from Haiti near Florida: officials

MIAMI, Fla. - The U.S. Coast Guard intercepted a boat loaded with more than 100 migrants near Florida on Monday, officials said.

What we know:

A Customs and Border Protection aircrew from Jacksonville and a Coast Guard aircrew from Miami alerted Coast Guard District Seven watchstanders after spotting the 30-foot boat overloaded with 132 migrants from Haiti sailing northwest between Cuba and Cay Sal Bank. 

The vessel was stopped by crews following a maritime interdiction approximately 50 miles southeast of Marathon, Florida, officials said in a news release.

(Credit: US Coast Guard)

The migrants were checked to confirm their identity and given food, water, shelter, and basic medical care before being sent back to their home country.

What they're saying:

"The Coast Guard will continue to prioritize strengthening our domestic integrity and disrupting attempts to enter the United States illegally by sea," Lt. Zane Carter, a Coast Guard District Seven enforcement officer, said in a statement. "We are steadfast in our mission to safeguard America by securing our maritime borders." 

By the numbers:

Since Oct. 1, 2024, the start of fiscal year 2025, Coast Guard crews said they have sent 313 people back to Haiti, compared to 857 in fiscal year 2024.

Local perspective:

The repatriation of Haitian migrants near Florida comes just days after Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a new partnership between the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to enhance immigration enforcement within the state.

MORE | DeSantis signs immigration enforcement deal with Trump White House; Florida second state to do so

The agreement authorized FHP troopers to perform specific federal immigration enforcement functions and marks Florida as one of the first states to fully integrate state troopers into federal immigration efforts.