Early this morning, a group of 18 migrants from China and Ecuador arrived by boat and was taken into custody in Pompano Beach. According to NBC Miami, their makeshift vessel landed in a canal near the 2600 block of Northeast 24th Street. Witnesses report the boat, carrying a mix of women and children among others, was moving at high speed through the waterways before coming ashore. Border Patrol and local law enforcement were quick to gradually encircle and detain the group following their arrival.
CBS News Miami added that the incident occurred east of U.S. 1 at 2400 NE 20th Ave., where Pompano Beach Fire Rescue also responded. A neighbor's surveillance captured the event, showing the vessel hitting another boat before the passengers disembarked and walked on foot to a nearby church, seeking sanctuary or perhaps just bearings in a new land they hoped to call home.
Chief Border Patrol Agent Jeffrey Dinise gave details of the encounter, stating that the group consisted of five individuals from China and 13 from Ecuador. He shared a photo of the boat on social media, indicating the modest size of the craft that had ferried the migrants. Broward Sheriff's Office personnel were also present on the scene. The migrants have now been taken into custody.
