Approximately 8:00 a.m., a Coast Guard C-130 patrol aircraft spotted a 30' go-fast with twin outboard engines heading towards Key West. Two ICE high-speed interceptor class patrol boats were deployed from ICE’s Miami Air and Marine Operations (AMO) Branch stationed in Key West, to intercept the suspicious go-fast. Also, a patrolling Coast Guard cutter and two response boats from Station Key West were dispatched to assist in the intercept.

The clearly marked, Homeland Security – Police, ICE-boats intercepted the suspicious go-fast at approximately 8:50 a.m. and instructed the go-fast to stop. The go-fast refused to comply and began to flee. The suspect go-fast continued to flee, attempting to out maneuver and ram the ICE-boats. At approximately 9:00 a.m. two Coast Guard response boats arrived on the scene and also instructed the fleeing suspect go-fast to stop with negative results.

Approximately 9:30 a.m. the ICE-boats were successfully able to stop the suspect go-fast as one of its engines fell off as the result of it ramming into an ICE interceptor. The ICE high-speed interceptors are 39 feet in length, and have four outboard engines plus an array of state of the art electronics.

The suspect go-fast was stopped approximately six miles offshore, southeast of Key West, with 23 illegal aliens, two of who were children, and two suspected smugglers. The two suspects were taken into custody by ICE agents and turned over to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection -Border Patrol for processing.

The Coast Guard Cutter Nantucket repatriated 23 migrants to Bahia de Canbanas, Cuba, at noon Monday. The cutter Nantucket is a 110-foot patrol boat from Key West, Fla.

Once on board Coast Guard cutters, all migrants receive food, water, and any necessary medical attention. . Determination of a migrant's status is made by the U.S. Government and coordinated by Department of Homeland Security immigration officials.

Since 9/11, illegal immigration has come under intense scrutiny by agencies within the Department of Homeland Security. Law enforcement officers from ICE Air and Marine Operations and the Coast Guard conducted this interdiction, of a non-compliant migrant smuggling vessel, jointly and professionally.

VIDEO AVAILABLE:
A segment of the high-speed chase is available on VHS tape.

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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for the enforcement of border, economic, infrastructure and transportation security laws. ICE seeks to prevent acts of terrorism by targeting the people, money and materials that support terror and criminal networks.