Hundreds of migrants arrive on boat in Florida Keys
ABC News
Hundreds of Haitian migrants were stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Coast Guard when they arrived by boat.
At least 356 Haitian migrants traveled by boat on a dangerous trek to the coast of the Ocean Reef community in Key Largo, Florida, on March 6, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
CBP took custody of 158 people who swam to the shore from the vessel, according to Alan Regalado, the public affairs specialist for CBP in Florida. The 198 people who stayed on the boat where they were stopped and transferred to U.S. Coast Guard boats.
"It's [a] really, really dangerous [trek], especially because of the conditions -- I mean, over 300 people in one vessel? I mean, they're just not equipped for that trip," Regalado told ABC News.
He added, "Not only that, but the smuggling organizations and everything that migrants have to go through in the process -- it's just not a safe thing to do."
