Luxury yacht intercepted smuggling 30 illegal immigrants from Haiti

Original article here.

MIAMI, FL- Police in Florida discovered 30 Haitian illegal immigrants being smuggled into the United States when they intercepted a luxury yacht traveling in the Florida Keys on Friday.

A photo posted to social media by Customs and Border Protection shows the illegals crowded in a below deck room on the yacht.

Two smugglers were operating the vessel when it was stopped. The Miami Herald reported that one of the smugglers has been transferred to Homeland Security Investigations.

According to the New York Post, illegals that are attempting to enter the United States via the ocean are being returned by the United States Coast Guard (USCG). The USCG is expected to transport Friday’s group back to Haiti as well.

Haiti has recently been rocked with violence as Haitian gangs work to take over the capitol following Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s March 11 resignation. There is currently no temporary government in place, leaving it unstable politically on top of the violence.

On Sunday, Jimmy “Barbeque” Cherizier, a violent Haitian warlord and gang leader sent messages out on social media instructing his gang members to “burn every house you find.”

Miami Border Patrol agents were reportedly warned in March about the possibility of waves of Haitian migrants landing on Florida’s coast to flee the violence and instability in Haiti. Federal agencies are watching the situation closely.

“DHS is monitoring the situation in Haiti and coordinating closely with the State Department and international partners. All irregular journeys, especially maritime routes, are extremely dangerous, unforgiving, and often result in loss of life. US policy is to return noncitizens who do not establish a legal basis to remain in the United States,” a DHS spokesperson communicated to the New York Post.

Witness at the Border, which watches illegal immigration closely, reported that the first deportation flights since January 2023 were sent to Haiti last week by the Biden Administration.

Due to the state of the country, it is estimated that around 360,000 Haitians are currently displaced, Reuters is reporting.