Indian River County - Tuesday March 5, 2024: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation officers stopped a 42-foot long power boat entering the Sebastian Inlet last Thursday night, and detained the 24 undocumented Haitian men, women, and children aboard the vessel.
FWC conducted the maritime traffic stop at the request of the U.S. Coast Guard which had been tracking the vessel. The FWC officers contacted the Indian River County Sheriff's Marine Unit for assistance.
Homeland Security and Boarder Patrol agents also helped out, but because the vessel and its passengers never made land, and remained in the water the entire time, all 24 Haitians were turned over to the U.S. Coast Guard for processing, and not the Border Patrol.
Two other people aboard, who were reportedly boat captains from Brevard County, were taken into custody.