U.S. ramps up border patrols off Florida amid migration concerns
MIAMI - The U.S. Coast Guard has announced an immediate surge in operations near Haiti and Cuba in response to executive orders issued by the Trump administration on Tuesday.
The effort is part of a broader initiative to bolster maritime border security across several regions.
Adm. Kevin Lunday, the Coast Guard's acting commandant, said the agency will deploy additional cutters, aircraft, boats, and specialized forces to key maritime areas, including waters off the southeast U.S. coast and approaches to Florida.
"The U.S. Coast Guard is the world's premiere maritime law enforcement agency, vital to protecting America's maritime borders, territorial integrity, and sovereignty," Lunday said in a statement.
A top priority of the surge is to deter and prevent potential mass maritime migration from Haiti and Cuba.
The region has experienced significant instability in recent months, prompting fears of increased attempts to reach U.S. shores.
Other areas of focus include the maritime borders surrounding Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. territories in the Pacific, and Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as the Gulf of Mexico and the southwest maritime border near Mexico.
In addition to deterring migration, the operations will target drug smuggling, human trafficking and other hostile activity.
The Coast Guard said it will work closely with the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense to coordinate the effort.
"Together, we will detect, deter, and interdict illegal migration, drug smuggling, and other terrorist or hostile activity before it reaches our border," Lunday said.
The Coast Guard's heightened presence comes as the U.S. faces ongoing challenges related to migration, particularly from countries experiencing economic crises and political instability such as Haiti and Cuba.
