(Trends Wide) — A group of 122 immigrants arrived in the United States by boat on Monday, about 30 kilometers north of Key West, Florida, authorities said.
The migrants’ arrival was a “maritime smuggling event,” according to Chief US Border Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar.
The boat that carried 122 migrants to the Florida Keys. according to the US Border Patrol.
There is a “coordinated response with our state, federal and local partners, making sure we get security and medical screenings and then process and transport these individuals to our station,” Slosar said in a video posted on Twitter.
The migrants are believed to be Haitian, according to a police source. They are predominantly men, but some women and children were also on the ship. The route the boat took and other details are being investigated, the source added.
Monday’s event comes just over a week after another boat carrying some 300 migrants, also believed to be from Haiti, ran aground near Key Largo.
That boat had been overloaded by suspected smugglers, Slosar said at the time, and many of the migrants needed medical attention.
Trends Wide’s Melissa Alonso contributed to this report.
