Florida Officials Discover Dozens of Chinese Migrants, Arrest Suspected Smugglers in Crackdown Effort
Coral Gables, Florida has been the focal point of a nationwide crackdown on known criminal aliens in the days following President Donald Trump’s second arrival at the White House. In a related development, multiple law enforcement agencies have stumbled upon dozens of Chinese migrants in Coral Gables and arrested at least four suspected smugglers from Cuba and one from Haiti.
In the first instance, police found 22 Chinese migrants in a U-Haul van, allegedly being smuggled into the United States. Further investigation led authorities to discover another three migrants from Ecuador and Brazil in a nearby Toyota Corolla. The group was taken into custody and detained at a US Border Patrol facility.
In another incident, federal authorities arrested four Cuban nationals and a Haitian in connection with a suspected human smuggling ring, which had transported illegal aliens from the Bahamas via boat. At least one of the smugglers allegedly received $5,000 from a contact named “Miggy” to pick up the migrants at a designated landing point.
Two separate 911 calls led to the discovery of a second group of 26 Chinese nationals arriving at a private marina. The migrants climbed into two vans, which police stopped and discovered the group, leading to the arrest of two more suspected smugglers, a Cuban and a Haitian. One of the drivers was found to be armed.
The coastal city of Coral Gables is now seeking increased resources from local and federal agencies to protect its coastline, with police working closely with authorities to monitor potential migration routes from the Bahamas.