Fort Pierce - Monday February 5, 2024: The U.S. Coast Guard, with the assistance of the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office (SLCSO), intercepted 30 Haitian migrants Saturday after their power boat ran aground near Shark Island.
SLCSO deputies aboard a patrol vessel approached the stranded power boat, and threw bottled water to the Haitians as Sheriff Keith Pearson recorded a video that was posted on the SLCSO Facebook page.
"Our Deputies helped with this interception," said Sheriff Pearson. "After making sure that there were no immediate medical needs, we provided fresh water while they await(ed) to be picked-up by the United States Coast Guard."
The U.S. Coast Guard turned the Haitians over to U.S. Customs and Border Protection for processing, and a return for most, if not all of them, to Haiti.