The Palm Beach Police Department detained four people who officers said were involved in an “immigration incident” early Sunday morning.
According to an alert shared to the department’s social media accounts around 7:45 a.m. EST Sunday, a “beached vessel” earlier that morning was spotted near 1200 North Ocean Blvd., roughly six miles north of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate along Palm Beach.
Palm Beach police Captain Will Rothrock, public information officer for the department, told Newsweek that the vessel was approximately 23 feet long and likely came ashore from midnight to 5 a.m. and was found by police around 5:30 a.m.
The individuals found at the vessel and detained include three females and one male. Two of the females were taken to the hospital as a precaution, Rothrock told Newsweek via phone.
Rothrock added that two of the detainees were Haitian nationals and the two others Colombian. The Colombian nationals were also issued “notices to appear,” according to police, which is the official document issued by the Department of Homeland Security that initiates removal proceedings against a foreign national.
Police said in the alert that there “may be several more subjects outstanding” beyond the four people detained.
“If you observe any suspicious persons or activity, please contact the Police Department at 561-838-5454,” read the alert.
Immigration is a hot issue among voters heading into November amid an increase in border encounters. The administration of President Joe Biden has faced backlash from both sides of the aisle in recent weeks after issuing an executive order limiting the daily number of asylum-seekers crossing the U.S.-Mexico border to 2,500.
Trump, who is set to face off against Biden on Election Day, has made immigration police a core talking point in his 2024 campaign. Republicans have long accused Biden of having an “open-border policy” that has led to an increase in migration. Trump has promised to crack down on immigration if reelected to the White House, although his rhetoric around the issue has often drawn criticism.
Biden said his executive order to curb migration was due to Republicans stalling bipartisan legislation in Congress, saying earlier this month during a news conference at the White House, “Frankly, I would have preferred to address this issue through bipartisan legislation, because that’s the only way to actually get the kind of system we have now that’s broken, fixed. To hire more Border Patrol agents, more asylum officers, more judges. But, Republicans left me no choice.”
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