Floridian authorities have seized a vessel off the coast that was carrying Haitian illegals, guns, and drugs, GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday.
Earlier this month, Haitian gangs staged a mass prison break and freed roughly 3,700 inmates. Prime Minister Ariel Henry subsequently resigned and the chaos has prompted concerns of a surge in maritime attempts at entry into the U.S.
"Our Florida Fish and Wildlife offices interdicted a vessel that had 25 illegal immigrants, potential illegal immigrants from Haiti in their boat. In their vessel they had firearms, they had drugs, they had night vision gear and were boating very recklessly, which would potentially endanger other folks," the governor said, according to Fox News.
"That vessel was interdicted near the Sebastian Inlet and those illegal aliens were turned over to the Coast Guard for deportation," he added. The Sebastian Inlet is a narrow waterway north of Vero Beach that links the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian River Lagoon.
The announcement comes just days after DeSantis ordered the deployment of more than 250 personnel to the southern coast of Florida ahead of the expect surge in attempted Haitian entries.
"For quite some time, the State of Florida has been dedicating significant resources to combat illegal vessels coming to Florida from countries such as Haiti," he said at the time. "Given the circumstances in Haiti, I have directed the Division of Emergency Management, the Florida State Guard, and state law enforcement agencies to deploy over 250 additional officers and soldiers and over a dozen air and sea craft to the southern coast of Florida to protect our state."
In January of last year, DeSantis activated the National Guard to aid federal authorities in responding to a surge in arrivals to the Florida Keys from Cuba, Haiti, and other Caribbean nations.
Related Story: 5 Things to Know About the Crisis in Haiti
