Cruise ships save dozens of migrants near Florida Keys

Cruise ships save dozens of migrants near Florida Keys
A group of Cuban migrants gather on the side of U.S. 1 in the Middle Keys island of Duck Key, Fla., Jan. 2, 2023.
A group of Cuban migrants gather on the side of U.S. 1 in the Middle Keys island of Duck Key, Fla., Jan. 2, 2023.
A group of Cuban migrants gather on the side of U.S. 1 in the Middle Keys island of Duck Key, Fla., Jan. 2, 2023.
A group of Cuban migrants gather on the side of U.S. 1 in the Middle Keys island of Duck Key, Fla., Jan. 2, 2023.
Two cruise lines rescued dozens of people on small boats near Cuba on Monday, the latest incident of migrants trying to reach the U.S. through the Florida Keys in recent days.
Staff on the Fort Lauderdale-bound Celebrity Beyond ship rescued 19 people from a boat and provided them food, shelter and medical services on Monday, Capt. Kate McCue said in a video posted on Instagram on Tuesday.
“We are grateful for our crew’s quick action and the lives saved as a result,” Celebrity told ABC News in a statement.
Additionally, crew members on board the Carnival Celebration noticed five people about 29 miles northwest of Cuba aboard a boat and stopped to help them as they were adrift at sea, a company spokesperson told ABC News in a statement.
According to Carnival Cruise Line spokesperson Matt Lupoli, the crew reached out to and met with, the United States Coast Guard near Key West, Florida.
“The ship resumed on its voyage with its scheduled itinerary unaffected and Carnival Celebration returned to Miami on Tuesday morning after a week-long Caribbean cruise,” Lupoli said.
The USCG did not respond to request for comment.
The rescues came the same day as Dry Tortugas National Park in the Florida Keys announced Monday it would close to the public after an influx of migrant landings over the past few days shut down operations at the park.
“Homeland Security Task Force – Southeast is aware of multiple migrant landings this weekend on Dry Tortugas National Park and the Marquesas. The U.S. Coast Guard and partner federal, state and local components in HSTF-SE are coordinating efforts to recover the individuals currently stranded on the remote, uninhabited islands,” Rear Adm. Brendan C. McPherson, commander of the Seventh Coast Guard District and director of Homeland Security Task Force, said in a statement.
Dry Tortugas is a 100-square-mile park located 70 miles west of Key West, Florida. It comprises seven small islands and is accessible only by boat or seaplane.
ABC News’ Armando Garcia contributed to this report.