The Coast Guard headed into the third day of searching on Monday for survivors and drowning victims lost at sea south of Florida after attempting to migrate to the United States, with at least four people dead.
The homemade boat that a group of immigrants had used to sail from an undisclosed country in the Caribbean capsized Saturday approximately 50 miles east of the Florida Keys. The agency has not disclosed where the boat departed.
AS MANY AS 20 MIGRANTS FEARED DEAD AFTER HURRICANE IAN SHIPWRECKS BOAT SAILING TO FLORIDA
The Coast Guard responded and pulled nine people from the rough waters, including one person who was already deceased. Four people in total drowned immediately after the boat capsized.
A spokeswoman for the Coast Guard’s southeast office told the Washington Examiner on Monday morning that they were “still searching” for five people who had been on the makeshift vessel.
#Breaking @USCG crews are searching for 5 people, about 50 mi. off Little Torch Key, after a group took to the sea on a homemade vessel that capsized during a failed migration venture. 9 people were rescued, 1 person recovered deceased, Sat… pic.twitter.com/UlYspfz4el
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) November 20, 2022
“Some of the rescued wore #lifejackets, saving their lives in 6-8 foot seas & 30 mph winds,” the Coast Guard wrote in a post to Twitter Sunday.
Capsizing incidents among immigrants sailing from nations such as Cuba and Haiti to Florida have become regular occurrences over the past year.
As Hurricane Ian struck Florida in late September, the Coast Guard reported that 20 immigrants were missing and feared dead after their boat capsized.
The Coast Guard is handling this attempted migration event because it has jurisdiction over maritime incidents, while the Border Patrol is responsible for arresting illegal immigrants if they reach land.
Record-high numbers of Cubans and Haitians have attempted to cross the southern land border illegally over the past 18 months, but others have increasingly taken to the sea. Department of Homeland Security authorities with the Coast Guard told the Washington Examiner this summer that its personnel had interdicted more people at sea than ever before.
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A Coast Guard spokesperson pointed at the time to socioeconomic problems in both countries as a reason why immigrants have chosen to flee.
Between October 2021 and June, the Coast Guard intercepted more than 10,000 people attempting to enter the U.S. illegally by boat. Roughly 3,400 were from Cuba and 6,100 were from Haiti — four times more Haitian immigrants than the previous 12-month record.
