MIAMI — A group of between 100 and 200 Haitian migrants arrived offshore of the Florida Keys Saturday afternoon, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Their overloaded sailboat boat was grounded off shore of the gated community of Ocean Reef, the Coast Guard said.
It was immediately unclear how many migrants made it to shore, but photos provided to the Miami Herald show people from the boat sitting on the grounds of the exclusive resort wrapped in towels and being provided with bottled water.
The Coast Guard also said several people from the group jumped into the water without life jackets and had to be rescued.
The area off the shore of northern Key Largo has been a frequent destination of Haitian migrants since November. Several landings have happened in almost that exact spot, and slightly farther south off a remote two-lane highway called Card Sound Road.
The group Saturday included people of all ages, including seniors, young children and infants, a law enforcement source said.
The arrival comes as the Coast Guard and Border Patrol have been dealing with a rampant increase in Cuban migrants in various locations throughout the Keys this week.
Between Thursday and Friday, the Border Patrol took into custody at least 150 people from Cuba who made landfall throughout the island chain.
The situation also happened as the Coast Guard continued its search for five people from Cuba who went missing when a migrant boat with 15 on board capsized off the Lower Keys island of Sugarloaf Key on Friday.
Two people from that voyage were found dead in the ocean, and eight people were rescued, according to the Coast Guard.
Ocean Reef is also the scene of one of the largest arrivals of Haitian migrants in decades, when 356 people, also on an overloaded boat, ran aground just off shore of the exclusive community.
The community — where celebrities and dignitaries often stay when they visit South Florida — is also not far from Boca Chita Key, a small Upper Keys island situated in Biscayne National Park, where more than 150 Haitian migrants were stopped by the Coast Guard in a packed sailboat July 24.
Haiti is experiencing its largest maritime exodus since 2004 due to deteriorating safety, political and economic conditions. Since the beginning of October, the Coast Guard has stopped more than 6,534 people at sea trying to reach the United States.
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