U.S. Border Patrol spots 118 migrants fleeing Haiti in a boat off Florida

Border Patrol agents intercepted more than 100 Haitian migrants off Key West, Florida, on Wednesday as they tried to enter the U.S., Coast Guard officials said.

Border Patrol agents intercepted more than 100 Haitian migrants off Key West, Florida, on Wednesday as they tried to enter the U.S., Coast Guard officials said.

The 118 migrants were spotted on a boat in the Florida waters around 4 a.m. and were given medical examinations, interviewed and processed, Border Patrol said.

“I can confirm there was a recent migrant landing in the vicinity of the Key West Nature Preserve,” Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Nicholas Strasburg said Wednesday.

The migrants were intercepted as a humanitarian crisis grips Haiti's capital Port-au-Prince, where violent gangs have taken over the streets, forcing residents to starve and flee as questions remain about whether it can govern itself.

In March, Haiti’s unpopular prime minister, Ariel Henry, agreed to resign after he failed to hold elections on multiple occasions, which he attributed to logistical problems or violent protests aimed at him. Henry had also announced that the next election would be postponed until next year.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/us-border-patrol-haitian-migrants-boat-florida-rcna159137

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