DANIA BEACH, Fla. – A small makeshift sailboat washed ashore on Thursday in Broward County.
Witnesses said a group of migrants was on the beach just south of the Dania Beach Pier.
“There were six people that were on this vessel and they were Cuban immigrants,” Elexis Price said later adding, “You don’t see a boat made like that typically.”
Agent Alan Regalado, a spokesman for the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, described the incident as a “suspected maritime smuggling event.”
Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue personnel responded. According to Claudinne Caro, a spokeswoman for the Broward Sheriff’s Office, deputies and marine units also responded shortly after 6:40 p.m.
“The suspected migrants left the area. There are no reports of injuries. U.S. Border Patrol and the Department of Homeland Security searched the scene and it has since been cleared,” Caro wrote in an email.
Witnesses said authorities searched for migrants in the area near the Florida Atlantic University Sea Tech and the Dania Beach Pier. As of 10:30 p.m., the agents hadn’t detained any of the migrants.
The investigation was ongoing late Thursday night. According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, undocumented Cuban migrants are arriving in the U.S. in the highest numbers seen in four decades.
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