Florida

Dozens of Migrants Come Ashore in Florida Keys on Christmas

Authorities say as many as four groups of boaters arrived in the Florida Keys on Christmas Day.

The first report came in around 4:15 a.m. Friday in the parking lot of a Walgreen's, when 15 Cuban migrants were reported, Monroe County Sheriff's Office officials said. Deputies and Customs and Border Protection responded and CBP took custody of the migrants.

About five hours later a group of 17-23 migrants made it to shore at the 75 mile marker on Lower Matecumbe Key. One or more may have been dehydrated and all were taken into custody by CBP.

At 9:30 a.m., an unknown number of migrants were reported to be on shore at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park in Key West. The report was turned over to Key West Police.

Around 12:30 p.m., a migrant was found on Grassy Key at the 57.7 mile marker. The migrant, who may have been part of one of the earlier landings, was also turned over to CBP.

Contact Us