BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – A vessel with 25 Haitian immigrants was stopped by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers near Sebastian Inlet, according to a release.
The FWC said two officers were conducting a patrol around 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 29 near Sebastian Inlet when they stopped a 42-foot vessel.
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“Immediately upon stopping the vessel, the officers knew they had intercepted a human smuggling operation. The operator of the vessel was armed and onboard; lying prone on the deck of the boat, they discovered 25 individuals, including five unaccompanied children, illegally entering the country,” the release said.
Officials said they found night vision goggles, drugs on board and firearms.
“The vessel operator and a passenger, both U.S. citizens, were turned over to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office and the case was referred to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and the BCSO for further investigation,” FWC said in a release.
This happened nearly two weeks before Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered more than 250 law enforcement officers and soldiers to the Florida Keys to stop Haitian migrants fleeing violence — or nearly two people deployed for every Haitian migrant who has been repatriated by the U.S. Coast Guard in the last five months, according to the Associated Press.
The Coast Guard said it hasn’t seen increased migrant traffic in the waters off Florida.
The governor’s office said in a news release the state has the right to defend itself from “the potential of invasion.”
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