MONROE COUNTY, Fla. – Crews rescued 15 Cuban migrants stranded on an uninhabited island in the Florida Keys Saturday morning, according to the U.S. Border Patrol.
Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar, who heads the Border Patrol’s Miami sector, tweeted that the migrants made landfall in a “rustic vessel” on an island in the Marquesas Keys, which are west of Key West.
Recommended Videos
Agents took them into custody, Slosar said.
15 Cuban migrants were taken into #BorderPatrol custody this morning after making landfall on a rustic vessel in the Marquesas Keys, an uninhabited island west of Key West. The group was stranded on an island & rescued by @CBPAMORegDirSE partners.#cuba #saturday #florida pic.twitter.com/gnOu8zosTg
— Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar (@USBPChiefMIP) July 30, 2022
Officials did not say how long the migrants were stranded on the island.
Less than 24 hours before this rescue, a Carnival cruise liner rescued 12 stranded migrants drifting in the Straits of Florida.
Federal agencies are dealing with a massive increase in Cuban migration. The Coast Guard says crews have intercepted more than 3,400 Cuban migrants since Oct. 1, 2021.