Kristina Cooke and Ted Hesson

WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – U.S. authorities have launched an investigation into what appears to be the most serious human smuggling attempt from the United States in recent years. The incident occurred after a boat carrying 356 Haitian migrants was stranded in the Florida Keys.

The boat was carrying 158 passengers who jumped off and attempted to swim in the rough waters toward Key Largo. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, (CBP), they were rescued from water and taken into custody by U.S. Border Patrol. Other 198 were left on board and taken into custody by U.S. Coast Guard.

A spokesperson for CBP said that several migrants had been admitted to hospital with minor injuries, but were released quickly.

There was no death, except for the January incident that saw a boat of migrants sinking in rough waters near the Bahamas. Only one survivor survived, and only one died. 38 others were still missing.

A few days later, 191 Haitian migrants were intercepted by the U.S. Coast Guard aboard an overloaded sailing boat that was suspected to be heading towards Florida.

The increasing number of boat crossings from Haitian migrants has been a result of the worsening economic, political, and gang-related crises in this Caribbean country.

Coast Guard reported that 1,152 Haitians were rescued by it since October. They also rescued 3,900 Haitians from the sea in five previous years.

Photographs taken by Walter Slosar, Chief Patrol Agent of Border Patrol’s Miami Sector on Sunday show a boat that is tilting to the side of the sea with people hanging off and migrants landing on the shore.

CBP announced that Border Patrol migrants will be taken into deportation proceedings while Coast Guard prisoners will be sent home to Haiti.

The administration of President Joe Biden gave deportation relief to approximately 155,000 Haitians who were already living in the United States, and granted them access to work permits.

The administration quickly expelled Haitians who sought asylum, citing COVID-19 regulations. Many were evacuated after they crossed the U.S. Mexico border in September. They set up camp underneath a bridge in Del Rio Texas.