300 migrants land at a national park in Florida Keys

KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) — A U.S. national park comprising a cluster of uninhabited islands in the Florida Keys was closed Monday after 300 migrants made 10 landings there over the weekend, officials said.

The park tweeted that Dry Tortugas National Park was closed about 70 miles west from Key West to allow law enforcement and medical personnel to evaluate the migrants and then move them to Key West.

“The closure, which is expected to last several days, is necessary for the safety of visitors and staff because of the resources and space needed to attend to the migrants,” park officials said in their statement.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection stated in a tweet that at most 88 migrants were from Cuba.

The national park lies at the southern tip in the continental United States and is popular with snorkelers and divers for its coral reefs.