Dry Tortugas National Park will be temporarily closed to the public after about 300 migrants arrived in the past few days, officials said.
The park will be closed at 8 a.m. Monday, and law enforcement and medical personnel will be coordinating the assessment of immigrants, the provision of care, and transportation to Key West, park officials tweeted Sunday.
“The closure, which is expected to last several days, is necessary for the safety of visitors and staff due to the resources and space required to accommodate immigration,” the follow-up tweet said.
Concession-operated ferry and seaplane services have also been temporarily suspended.
Homeland Security officials said they are working to retrieve other migrants who may be stranded on uninhabited islands in the region.
Officials said migrants were given food, water, and basic first aid before U.S. Border Patrol decided whether to keep their legal status in the U.S. or process them for deportation. increase.
The park has recently seen an increase in people arriving by boat from Cuba, officials said
A Border Patrol official said authorities responded to at least 10 migrant landings on Sunday, including more than 160 migrants.
Since October 1, 2022, Coast Guard crews have intercepted 4,076 Cubans, compared with 6,182 Cuban immigrants in the 2022 fiscal year, U.S. Coast Guard officials said.
