39 people missing at sea
The U.S. Coastguard was searching the Atlantic Ocean off Florida late into the evening of January 25, hoping to find and rescue up to 39 missing people.
The Coastguard was called after a man was found clinging to the hull of a capsized boat - the boat was believed to have been smuggling people to Florida.
According to the rescued man, there were 39 others on the boat when it overturned in rough seas on Sunday January 23.
The boat was bringing its passengers towards the Fort Pierce inlet having departed from Bimini in the Bahamas. The capsized vessel was discovered by a passing boat - its owner alerted the U.S. Coastguard which started its search on Tuesday morning.
A regular occurrence
Only last week, 32 people were rescued after another boat capsized just 5-miles into its journey from Bimini to Florida.
This weekend another boat was intercepted by the Coastguard while sailing, dangerously overloaded with 88 Haitians onboard. The ship was also bound for Florida.
The number of people trying to cross the sea from countries like Haiti is increasing radically. It now seems that many Cuban favor crossing into the US via the Mexican border in the hope of finding a new and better life in the USA. More than 1,527 Haitians were picked up by the US Coastguard in the year to September 2021 while crossing the waters around Florida, up from a previous high of 932.
The growing numbers suggest that the problem of uncontrolled immigration are getting worse. Undeterred by the many ships that have capsized, desperate people are continuing to try and cross into the U.S. in search of a better life. It seems a sign of their desperation that so many are attempting the dangerous crossing.
Some make it to Florida
Some boats do land safely - in December a boat carrying around 50-people landed on a beach in Jupiter, Florida. The passengers rushed ashore to the bemusement of those watching from the beach. Some of these have likely found a way of staying in the USA before they were captured by the authorities.
What do you think about the number of people trying to make the dangerous crossing into Florida? Would you seek out a better life for your family if you believed that migrating to another country would improve your situation? Let me know in the comments section below.
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