The remote Florida archipelago has been closed after the arrival of hundreds of migrants

A remote archipelago and national park located off the coast of Key West, Florida, was closed on Monday after a group of about 300 migrants arrived on the islands by boat, park authorities said.

The group of mostly uninhabited islands known as Dry Tortugas National Park lies around 160 kilometres north of Havana and is known for its crystal clear waters and coral reefs.

But in recent days the islands have become another kind of shelter.

In addition to the 300 emigrants who arrived in the archipelago, more than 160 emigrants arrived in other parts of the archipelago Florida Keys in recent days, according to local and federal authorities.

Officials did not specify the countries of origin, but said in a statement that the park and region have “recently seen an increase in people arriving by boat from Cuba.”

The influx of immigrants began around New Year’s, according to authorities, and comes amid a wave of maritime migrations.

In the one-year period ending in September, the US Coast Guard arrested more than 6,000 Cubanscompared to the approximately 840 emigrants of the previous year, says the authority in a recent statement.

The archipelago was temporarily closed as of 8 a.m. Monday so authorities and health care workers could assess, treat and transport migrants to Key West, park officials said.

Park staff will provide food, water and basic medical care to the migrants until the Department of Homeland Security arrives, they added.

“The current effort is to try to move them off the island by boat in mainland Key West and the Florida Keys, so they can then be transferred to federal law enforcement agencies,” said Lt. Commander John Beal, a spokesman for the 7th Coast Guard District, referring to the immigrants.

“These are remote, uninhabited islands with no supporting infrastructure,” he explained, adding that local, state and federal authorities are coordinating to bring food and water to the archipelago, which is often served by a few forest ranger.

Federal authorities said the migrants would be removed from the islands and processed to determine their legal status to remain in the United States or be deported back to their country of origin.

The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, which oversees the Florida Keys and its islands, described the influx of migrants over the weekend as a “mass migration crisis.”

The office accused federal authorities, which in some cases were not expected to arrive until the next day, of being slow to respond.

“This federal failure is creating a humanitarian crisisia,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement posted to Facebook on Monday.

The park was expected to remain closed for several days, officials said, an action they said was “necessary for the safety of visitors and staff due to the resources and space needed to care for migrants.”

Park officials said all closures would be “in effect until further notice” and that all ferries and seaplanes would be suspended during that time.

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