The crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border is the epicenter of the historic wave of illegal immigration but it is not the only place at America's borders that has seen an increase in traffic.
The coastal sectors in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea have seen their fair share of people making landings on United States territory to take advantage of the Biden administration's relaxed border enforcement. In the Miami Sector, Chief Patrol Agent Walter Slosar tweeted multiple times towards the end of 2022 about the multiple landings illegal immigrants made, mostly coming from Cuba and Haiti.
#Breaking: During the past 24 hours, U.S. Border Patrol agents & LE partners responded to 5 migrant landings throughout the Florida Keys and encountered 88 Cuban migrants. @USCGSoutheast @mcsonews @CBPAMORegDirSE #NewYearsEve #Saturday #florida #Cuba pic.twitter.com/Aq415sNGDa
— Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar (@USBPChiefMIP) December 31, 2022
Palm Beach, FL: Early this morning, U.S. Border Patrol agents with support from LE partners responded to a maritime smuggling event. 24 Haitian migrants were taken into federal custody after arriving on a 33 foot vessel. #borderpatrol #florida #haiti #palmbeach pic.twitter.com/lCqZGfikls
— Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar (@USBPChiefMIP) December 27, 2022
The most significant landings within the past week have occurred at Dry Tortugas National Park, which is located to the west of Key West. At least 300 people landed at the island, forcing the park to shut down to allow law enforcement and medical personnel to process them.
NEW RELEASE: Dry Tortugas National Park will temporarily close to the public on January 2 at 8 am while law enforcement & medical personnel evaluate, provide care for & coordinate transport to Key West for approximately 300 migrants who arrived in the park in the past couple days pic.twitter.com/5UiJ1vP2Lc
— Dry Tortugas National Park (@DryTortugasNPS) January 1, 2023
Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay, whose jurisdiction includes the Florida Keys, criticized the federal government for the situation, saying it's causing a humanitarian crisis, according to Fox 13.
"Refugee arrivals require a lot of resources from the Sheriff’s Office as we help our federal law enforcement partners ensure the migrants are in good health and safe," said Ramsay. "This shows a lack of a working plan by the federal government to deal with a mass migration issue that was foreseeable."
