Surge of migrant landings in South Florida continues

MARATHON, Fla. – On Tuesday, the record number of migrants landing in South Florida kept going up. Over the course of 24 hours, more than a dozen migrants landed in the Florida Keys, according to the federal government.

One of the 26 men who were on board a rickety boat when it made an emergency landing on a tiny island off the coast of Key West suffered an injury. Another person was seen putting his feet in the water while holding an American flag.

Another group established itself in a recreational vehicle community in Marathon.

“They looked pretty healthy,” resident Butch Francisco said. “They told one of the Spanish-speaking people here that they (were) only 30 hours from Cuba to here.”

In order to assist in transporting migrants to the United States Border Patrol station in Marathon, authorities from the federal government brought in a huge bus.

Reportedly, there has been a more than 200% increase in the number of landings in South Florida since the beginning of October. According to the government, this figure is now up to 450%.

Since October 1, agents with the United States Border Patrol have responded to 32 landings of migrants. More than 450 people have been caught after landing in South Florida.

Additionally, federal authorities continue to stop a significant number of migrant ships while they are at sea.