The number of migrants coming to the U.S. through South Florida continues to grow. The latest numbers show almost 1,000 Cuban migrants — including 921 that have been rescued this month in our area alone.
NBC 6 was given a look at the problem from the air, hopping on a flight from Air Station Miami. Coast Guard crews say more interdictions mean less time for training and more people waiting for help.
Within a couple of hours, the aircraft’s camera detected possible migrants on the water roughly 20 miles away.
“Right now, we found a couple of targets of interest so we are going to go check them out,” said Petty Officer Abimael Rodriguez with the US Coast Guard as he looked at the detection screen.
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The first target turned out to be an empty boat, but the second was full of people that appear to be coming from Cuba.
Rodriguez estimated that there were 20 people in the vessel, and said he could tell from the view on his camera they were bailing water.
"First thing we are going to see is 'are they okay?'" said Rodriguez. "We can tell they are doing pretty okay."
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“The condition we find not only the vessel, but the people are pretty drastic,” said Lt. Ricky Rodriguez, who was flying the U.S. Coast Guard plane along with Lt. Junior Grade Hannah Boyce.
“A lot of these boats are made out of any material they can find," said Lt. Rodriguez. "I’ve seen floating tires, shelf material, it’s the craziest thing you could ever imagine."
The Coast Guard said many are painted blue to stay camouflaged in the water. Sometimes, tarps will be placed on top to hide people. Some migrants have been found hiding under the boat to avoid being found.
In this case, the pilots are called in the location for a Coast Guard ship to pick the people up. But, the ship was already full with migrants.
Low on fuel, our plane had to head back to base and the boat found with Cubans will continue its journey until the Key West sector is free to rescue.
Coast Guard resources are being stretched thin, and even cruise ships have stepped in to help with the migrants which are increasing daily according to the USCG crew.
“Unfortunately, these guys are trying to chase the American dream,” said Lt. Rodriguez.
This fiscal year, the South Florida area saw more Cuban migrants picked up by the Coast Guard than any other in the past seven years. The 2022 fiscal year reported a total of 6,182 Cuban migrants, with 921 Cubans having been interdicted since October 1.
