US Coast Guard increases air patrols due to migrant surge
MIAMI - As the migrant crisis continues to impact South Florida, CBS4 rode along on a law enforcement patrol mission with the U.S. Coast Guard Aviation Unit based out of Miami.
The task for the day was to follow up on reports of migrants in the Florida Straights and the surrounding areas. Shortly after takeoff in the HC 144 Ocean Sentry plane, the crew was notified of a potential migrant vessel sailing off the coast of the Florida Keys.
An hour into the flight, the crew located the boat named "Lucia" sailing with at least 40 Haitian migrants on board. CBS4's Nicole Lauren asked the crew to explain the protocol in these situations.
Lt. Commander Brandon Decardenas, with Coast Guard Air Station Miami, said first the vessel needs to be located and secured. After, they will radio back to shore to find the nearest Coast Guard vessel that can get to the scene. Then it's a waiting game for the flight crew as they wait for rescue boats or cutter to arrive.
The crew, in this case, hovered over the Haitian migrants for a little over an hour. Decardenas said that on a typical patrol mission, he is used to seeing anywhere between 10-50 migrants. Decardenas also spoke on the strain these missions have had on their crews as the migrant surge has amped up patrols.
To put some numbers in perspective, since October 1st of 2022, alone, the Coast Guard has interdicted over 5,100 Cuban migrants. The Coast Guard said the majority of the migrants they have seen are coming from Cuba or Haiti.
Decardenas added that their main goal when finding these vessels on the water, or migrants on land, is to simply get them to safety.
On board each plane, there are rescue supplies that will be dropped on special occasions. Typically, when a migrant vessel capsizes or when rescue teams find migrants stranded on land. The rescue supplies mainly include rafts, water, radios, and other necessities.
When asked about the effect that these patrol missions had on him, Decardenas said he's overcome with a sense of gratitude for these migrants, risking it all for freedom.