The U.S. Coast Guard intercepted a vessel carrying 25 migrants from China about a mile south of Key Biscayne, Florida, on June 10, after the boat failed to comply with orders to stop, according to the Department of Homeland Security. DHS said the Coast Guard fired warning shots and then a disabling shot that halted the vessel, with no injuries reported.
Federal authorities stopped a migrant-smuggling attempt off South Florida after a boat carrying 25 people from China ignored orders to halt, the Department of Homeland Security said.
DHS said the Coast Guard encountered the vessel about a mile south of Key Biscayne on June 10. After the boat failed to comply, the Coast Guard fired warning shots that did not stop it, DHS said. Coast Guard personnel then fired a disabling shot that halted the vessel, and no injuries were reported.
The Coast Guard crew transported the migrants for further processing and seized the boat, which was taken to Coast Guard Station Miami Beach, DHS said.
Lt. Matthew Ross, the commanding officer of Coast Guard Station Miami Beach, said crews and partner agencies “remain vigilant in detecting and deterring unlawful maritime migration ventures.”
Ross warned that people who attempt “dangerous voyages” at sea risk interdiction and repatriation.
In a post on X, DHS said, “By land or sea, our borders are CLOSED,” and warned against attempting to enter the United States illegally.
