Migrant Apprehensions on Florida Coast this Year Exceed Entire FY22 Count

Migrant apprehensions along the Florida coastline during the first four months of Fiscal Year 23 exceeded the count for the entire Fiscal Year 22. Agents in the Miami Sector apprehended 4,681 migrants since October 1, 2022.

Miami Sector agents apprehended 4,009 migrants during the entire FY22, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Nationwide Encounters Report released on Friday. During just the first four months of this fiscal year, agents exceeded last year’s total with the apprehension of 4,681 migrants.

During the same period last year, Miami Sector agents apprehended only 908 migrants. This year’s four-month total represents an increase of 415 percent.

For the fifth straight month, migrant apprehensions in the Miami Sector continued to rise. In January, agents apprehended 1,361 migrants — an increase of 484 percent over last January’s 233 migrant apprehensions.

These numbers are not included in the Southwest Land Border Encounters report from CBP that shows the apprehension of 762,383 migrants during the first four months of the year.

Almost all of the migrants apprehended this year in the Miami Sector came to the U.S. from Cuba and Haiti, the report indicated.

The Miami Sector apprehension totals do not include migrants apprehended at sea by U.S. Coast Guard and CBP Air and Marine Operations crews. These agencies apprehended thousands of migrants in the Caribbean Sea.

Since October 1, the U.S. Coast Guard reports the interdiction of 2,513 Haitian migrants and 5,528 Cubans. Many of these migrants are returned to their home countries. Some are delivered to nearby nations like the Bahamas.

“Illegally migrating to the U.S. is treacherous, and you may lose your life in the transit,” Lt. Matt Miller, Coast Guard District Seven, said in a written statement. “Use safe and legal means available to come to the United States.”