High seas, a blustery day overall, daylight and winter, which is the height of the Season… all factors that made the boat load of immigrants stranded on the north end of Palm Beach island, a highly unusual event.
Migrants generally tend to come from the Bahamas, sometimes Haiti, in calmer waters, low surf, in the cover of darkness, and not during the prime popular winter months, when the Palm Beach population swells, and more potential witnesses are on and around the beach, making it less likely that the undocumented visitors might slip away unnoticed.
On this occasion, heavy police presence, including assistance from neighboring departments, quickly resolved the situation.
“Within minutes of the initial call Palm Beach Police Officers led by Chief Nicholas Caristo were in the area and detained 7 subjects. The Palm Beach Police Department drones were in the air and were an integral part of the search. U.S. Border Patrol Agents and Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Deputies were on scene and assisted with the search. After an extensive search of the area 12 immigrants (total) were located and detained. All the detainees were turned over to U.S. Border Patrol Agents. U.S. Border Patrol took custody of the boat.” That according to Police Department spokesperson Michael Ogrodnick.
