SUNNY ISLES BEACH, Fla. (NewsNation) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) agents rescued migrants off Florida’s south coast Tuesday after they tried to evade law enforcement, according to a press release.
AMO agents encountered the vehicle during the night, finding it floating without any navigational lights. Once a spotlight illuminated the vessel, multiple people onboard jumped into the water to flee.
“This event spotlights both the danger of these kinds of voyages and the dedication of AMO agents and staff”, said AMO Southeast Region Executive Director John Priddy.
An unconscious person was pulled from the water and agents administered CPR. After about 15 minutes, the victim was resuscitated and taken to a local hospital for further treatment and care, the release said.
Agents turned over 11 migrants to U.S. Coast Guard Station Miami for repatriation. Three migrants successfully swan to shore but were apprehended by CBP agents.
According to the United States Coast Guard, migrants who try to enter the U.S. by sea are not allowed to seek refuge in the U.S. and may be declared ineligible for legal migration.
Last month, the Coast Guard carried out nine unlawful irregular migration voyage interdictions, resulting in the removal of 206 migrants. In the past year, 67 unlawful irregular migration voyage interdictions were conducted, removing 2,161 migrants from Florida’s shores, USCG reported.