I was camping at Dry Tortugas for New Years. When we arrived on Dec 31st there were ~80 migrants, by mid day Jan 1 there were close to 300 and we were informed we needed to leave the island. I witnessed 4 such landings myself...
Here is one chug landing ~8am New Year’s Day. The shouts of relief and tears of joy will stick with me for the rest of my life.
Here you can see the sheer volume of chugs. The @DryTortugasNPS staff informed us this was the accumulation of just a few weeks of migration. Notice the naming of the vessels, they reflect the hope and yearning for freedom these folks have.
This was a chug that had just landed when we arrived. They are constructed with whatever they have on hand: barrels, sheet metal, and even a diesel engine from a vehicle. You can also see their travel provisions: jacket, life vest, and some bags of crackers.
@DryTortugasNPS staff were overwhelmed. 5 rangers were on staff but they lacked the training and Spanish language skill to manage the situation. Our group + many others stepped in with translation, food donation, and even medical advice to help the growing population of migrants
Shoutout to all the rangers at @DryTortugasNPS. The level of humanity and grace displayed to these migrants made me proud to be American. They stayed up all night providing food and care for these people and went the extra mile. Where is the @HSTF_Southeast to help them?!?
To all news media outlets contacting me: I will not be making additional statements. This humanitarian crisis has unfortunately become politicized. My goal is to help bring awareness to the plight of the Cuban people. Feel free to use the content and credit Enid Magari
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