A boat with 300 Haitian migrants runs aground on a Florida beach

A United States Customs and Border Protection van.

Illustrative image.

AP - Julio Cortez

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

Many Haitians still want to leave their country for the United States by any means.

Sunday, March 6, about 300 Haitians arrived in Florida, aboard a wooden boat. 

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It was past 1 p.m. in Florida when the boat ran aground in front of the very select luxury club, the "

", north of Key Largo.

In a photo published by the

, the makeshift craft is seen to be crowded and heeling heavily.

Half of the migrants jumped into the water and swam to shore.

Many of them needed medical attention. 

US authorities have opened an investigation.

According to the first information from the Coast Guard, those responsible for this alleged trafficking case are Haitians.

This is the third time in a week that US authorities have intercepted Haitians seeking to reach the United States.  

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Friday, March 5, the coast guards had arrested a hundred people aboard a small boat off Anguilla Cay, west of the Bahamas.

And eight days ago, 140 Haitians were intercepted off Andros, the largest island in the Bahamas.

All arrested migrants are sent to prison, where they usually stay for a few weeks, before being sent back to Haiti, without having the possibility of applying for asylum.   

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• United States

• Haiti

• Immigration

• International Migrations