(The Center Square) – Federal and local law enforcement officers continue to apprehend gang members, drug traffickers and human smugglers off the Florida coast.
Their efforts continue although the volume of illegal entries off the coast of Florida have significantly dropped after Gov. Ron DeSantis implemented border security measures and surged National Guard resources to assist with interdiction efforts.
Over the weekend, Border Patrol agents took into custody a Brazilian national, confirmed Paisa gang member and convicted drug trafficker, after Homeland Security Task Force agents interdicted a vessel in U.S. waters near Miami. He was apprehended and turned over to Border Patrol. He faces prosecution for illegal re-entry, Border Patrol Miami Sector Interim Chief Patrol Agent Andrew Scharnweber said.
In Fort Lauderdale, through a multi-agency effort, federal agents arrested a Haitian national illegally in the country. He was previously convicted and sentenced to 174 months in prison for alien smuggling that resulted in the death of nine illegal foreign nationals, including a pregnant woman and her unborn baby. He faces prosecution for illegal reentry into the U.S.
Not all individuals being arrested are foreign nationals.
On Tuesday, the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, which has jurisdiction over the Florida Keys, charged five Floridians with 20 felony counts of human smuggling. They are all Hispanic adults who reside in Miami, Cape Coral and West Palm Beach.
Border Patrol and U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine agents interdicted 20 foreign nationals on Sunday attempting to enter the country illegally. Among them were 13 Ecuadorians and seven Chinese nationals who arrived by boat off of County Road 905 in Key Largo, Florida.
As part of their investigation, agents also stopped and detained the four alleged human smugglers in Florida City. When Florida officials learned that the federal government refused to pursue human smuggling charges against them, Florida’s Monroe County State Attorney Dennis Ward took the case to prosecute them.
The alleged smugglers were turned over to the sheriff’s office, who filed state human smuggling charges against them. The Florida City Police Department also assisted with the case.
“The Sheriff’s Office was notified that the U.S. Attorney’s Office was not filing charges, so we consulted with the State Attorney’s Office and elected to proceed with state charges related to human smuggling,” Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay said. “The Sheriff’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office do not condone criminal behavior and will always work to hold people accountable.”
CBP AMO agents also last week interdicted a vessel near Golden Beach, seized 22 kilos of suspected narcotics and apprehended 18 illegal foreign nationals. Border Patrol agents also apprehended 10 Cubans, including eight adults and two minors, after arriving in Key West on a homemade vessel.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Enforcement and Removal Operations Miami agents are also removing violent offenders in the country illegally.
On Tuesday, ICE-ERO Miami agents arrested a Jamaican national illegally in the U.S. who has been living in Boca Raton and is wanted in his home country for child rape. He was placed in removal proceedings for illegally entering the country.
Also on Tuesday, ICE-ERO Miami agents removed a violent Dominican national who was previously deported and illegally reentered the country. He is wanted for murder in his home country. His extensive criminal history includes multiple arrests and convictions for cocaine trafficking and possession and illegal re-entry after previously being deported, according to ICE.
On August 15, ICE-ERO Stuart Fugitive Operations agents, working with Jupiter Police Department and DEA Miami officers, arrested a Mexican national illegally in the U.S. He was arrested for drug possession with intent to distribute and possession of fake IDs. He was also placed in removal proceedings, ICE said.
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Earlier this month, ICE-ERO Miami agents also removed a Guatemalan national who was in the country illegally after he received a removal order from a judge and was convicted for threatening to kill a Jupiter police officer.
Those illegally entering the country often have contacts in the U.S. to help them move further into the interior, authorities have explained to The Center Square. Foreign smugglers have U.S. counterparts or also operate in the U.S. to extort foreign nationals once they are in the U.S. While many foreign nationals believe they are paying to get into the U.S by circumventing legal entry, they end up in forced labor situations and human trafficking, Florida officials continue to uncover.
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