14 migrants found on Fort Lauderdale shore; Homeland Security investigating

BY CARLI TEPROFF
cteproff@MiamiHerald.com

Fourteen migrants were in custody Sunday after coming ashore in Fort Lauderdale earlier in the morning, according to Nestor Yglesias, a spokesman for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Yglesias said Homeland Security Investigations is now looking into the case, and those in custody are being processed by Customs and Border patrol.

The migrants came ashore early Sunday near the 15th Street Marina in Fort Lauderdale, setting off a search of the surrounding area.

At least two of the migrants were transported to the hospital, said Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Timothy Heiser.

Customs and Border Protection Spokesman Frank Miller told the Sun Sentinel there were several more people aboard the 27-foot Sea Ray boat who managed to elude police.

"We didn't get all of them. Some are still about and we are asking for the public's help in apprehending them," Miller told the paper. "This was carried out by a criminal organization with ties to the Bahamas, and our focus is on dismantling it."

The Sun Sentinel reported that of the 14 people being processed in Dania Beach, there was a man from the Dominican Republic, seven woman and four men from China, and a man and a woman from Haiti. Federal agents are now trying to figure out how the migrants ended up on the boat.

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