Topline
About two dozen migrants were rescued by a pair of Carnival Cruise Line ships northwest of Cuba on Monday, according to the company, complementing a recent surge of migrants landing along the Florida Keys over the New Year’s Day weekend.
Two Carnival Cruise Line Ships rescued two separate groups of migrants Monday.
Key Facts
Capt. Kate McCue, who helms Carnival’s Celebrity Beyond ship, posted a video on Instagram of the cruise ship rescuing a small boat containing 19 migrants.
Crew members on another ship—the Carnival Celebration—spotted a separate group of five people before bringing them onboard about 29 miles northwest of Cuba, a spokesperson for the cruise line told the Associated Press.
Florida has faced an uptick in migration by sea: Dry Tortugas National Park—located off the coast of Key West—reported a group of approximately 300 migrants arriving in the area over the last few days, resulting in the park being temporarily closed while law enforcement and medical personnel evaluate care for the migrants.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, representing the southwestern tip of Florida in addition to the Florida Keys, said more than 160 migrants landed along the middle and upper islands over the weekend, claiming a “mass migration crisis” was occurring.
Carnival Cruise Line did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes.
Crucial Quote
Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay criticized a “lack of a working plan by the federal government” to handle a recent uptick in migrants arriving in the state, adding “residents may see an increased amount of law enforcement and emergency responders throughout the county as we continue to respond to these landings.”
Key Background
The number of people arriving in the Florida Keys by boat from Cuba has increased recently, echoing a jump in Cuban migration at the U.S.-Mexico border as residents of the island nation flee economic despair. Border Patrol officials told the Associated Press that Coast Guard crews patrolling the Florida Keys have spotted hundreds of boats carrying people primarily from Cuba and Haiti in recent months. Border Patrol plans to send additional resources to the area, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office. Migration by sea has become more common over the last few years: In 2021, the Coast Guard recorded 14,529 undocumented migrants who tried to enter the U.S. by sea—nearly doubling the total from 2020 (7,583) and 2019 (7,093). Homeland Security officials warned in 2021 that attempting to enter the U.S. by traveling in small boats can be dangerous, and some attempts have resulted in death.
Tangent
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) set aside a budget of $12 million last year to transport migrants to other states, complimenting efforts by other GOP governors, including Greg Abbott (Texas) and Doug Ducey (Ariz.), in protest of President Joe Biden’s immigration policies. DeSantis took credit for flying a group of Venezuelan migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard in September—a stunt that resulted in the migrants filing a lawsuit against DeSantis alleging the governor had shuttled them under false pretenses of access to housing, education, legal assistance and other resources once they arrived.
Further Reading
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2023/01/03/cruise-ships-rescue-migrants-from-boats-off-florida-coast/