Following the arrival of round 300 migrants through the New Year’s weekend, the Florida Keys’ Dry Tortugas National Park needed to temporarily shut.
“Like elsewhere in the Florida Keys, the park has recently seen an increase in people arriving by boat from Cuba and landing on the islands of Dry Tortugas National Park,” the National Park Service explained in a information launch this week. “Park first responders provide food, water and basic medical attention until the Department of Homeland Security arrives and takes the lead.”
It’s anticipated that the closure would final a number of days.
The 100-square-mile park, referred to as dwelling to Fort Jefferson, undeveloped seashores and luxurious coral reefs, is not going to be open to guests throughout this time. Accessible by boat or seaplane, the park is situated on seven small islands about 70 miles west of Key West. Both providers can be momentarily stopped.
Until they’re transferred to U.S. Customs and Border Protection custody in Key West, the migrants are being fed and housed by the Homeland Security Task Force – Southeast, legislation enforcement, and medical workers, the group stated on Twitter on Wednesday.
According to a press release on the Facebook web page of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, which has jurisdiction over the Florida Keys, greater than 160 migrants have additionally lately arrived within the Middle and Upper Keys.
Despite the park’s closure, there are nonetheless loads of methods to go to Key West and the remainder of the Florida Keys, from seashore holidays to highway journeys alongside the Overseas Highway.