More than 50 Cuban migrants made landfall in the Keys on Sunday
MIAMI - More help is on the way to the Florida Keys which has seen an influx of Haitian and Cuban migrants.
On Friday, Governor Ron DeSantis signed an executive order activating the state's National Guard and directing law enforcement and other state agencies to provide resources to support local governments responding to the influx of migrants.
On Sunday, Border Patrol agents and Florida Highway Patrol troopers responded to two migrant landings, one in Key Largo, and the other in Marathon. Fifty-three Cuban migrants were picked up, four were taken to the hospital to be treated for dehydration.
More FHP troopers will head to the Keys this week in shifts and more officers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are also expected to be sent in to assist.
Also on Sunday, the US Coast Guard says it repatriated 273 Cuban migrants Sunday after intercepting a number of boats off the Florida coast on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
Last week, the National Park Service temporarily closed Dry Tortugas National Park in the Florida Keys to the public due to an influx of migrants from Cuba. The park has since reopened.
The Coast Guard said its crews interdicted 4,795 Cubans since October 1, 2022, compared to 6,182 Cuban migrants in all of fiscal year 2022, 838 Cuban migrants in fiscal year 2021 and 49 Cuban migrants in fiscal year 2020.