DHS Alien Migrant Interdiction Operations Team
in the Florida Keys
By Jeremy Smith, PDCP D13, D7, Islamorada, FL
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| James Dennen, Rear Commodore East, District Seven Coast Guard Auxiliary (left) accepts the Coast Guard's Meritorious Team Commendation Award from Admiral Collins on behalf of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. Photo by Jeremy Smith. |
KEY WEST, FLA - During a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) briefing at Coast Guard Group Key West on February 11, Admiral T. H. Collins, Commandant of the U. S. Coast Guard, presented the Coast Guard's Meritorious Team Commendation Award to members of the DHS Alien Migrant Interdiction Operations (AMIO) Team in the Florida Keys. The Department's AMIO Team, consisting of DHS personnel from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the U. S. Coast Guard active duty and Auxiliary, were recognized for their successful interdiction, holding and processing, of 142 Cuban migrants from four go-fast smuggling vessels, one Cuban fishing vessel, and a converted 1959 Buick in the Florida Keys earlier this month.
"The complexity of these cases demanded the highest degree of coordination and is a prime example of the integrated Department of Homeland Security operations that occur everyday in the Florida Keys," said Admiral Collins. The Commandant also commended the efforts of Coast Guard Group Key West and ICE Miami Air and Marine Branch for their highly effective coordination of the myriad of DHS and other agency surface and air assets during this period.
"These outstanding efforts related to the interdiction, caring for and processing of such a large number of Cuban migrants and smugglers in such a short period speaks volumes to the intense operational environment of the Florida Keys and is a direct result of the DHS Team's aggressive intelligence gathering, exceptional interagency communications, sound search planning and operational execution," the Commandant cited.
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