MIAMI, Florida (CMC) — United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency said several Caribbean nationals were among persons apprehended during an attempted migrant smuggling exercise Pompano Beach on Thursday.
CBP said its agents working closely with deputies assigned to the Broward County Sheriff’s Marine Unit in Miami, “located and apprehended 13 individuals running onto the beach” following a brief boat pursuit.
It said the illegal immigrants included nationals from Jamaica, Haiti, the Bahamas, Turkey and Sierra Leone and that three of the unidentified migrants had been previously deported from the United States.
“The successful law enforcement operation highlights the importance of the partnerships between Miami Sector Border Patrol and its federal, state and local partners to secure Florida’s coastal border,” said US Border Patrol Miami Sector Division Chief Peter Daniel.
“We will continue our efforts to keep communities safe while protecting America’s coastal borders.”
CBP said the unidentified Bahamian national in custody will be charged with “alien smuggling” by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida (USAO-SDFL).
CBP is the unified border agency within the US Department of Homeland Security charged with the “management, control and protection” of US borders “at and between official ports of entry.”
“CBP is charged with securing the borders of the United States while enforcing hundreds of laws and facilitating lawful trade and travel,” the statement said.
