DRY TORTUGAS NATIONAL PARK – A surge of about 300 migrants into Dry Tortugas National Park over the last few days has forced the park to close temporarily. The National Park Service says the people landed on islands within the remote park and are receiving food, water and medical evaluations. Then they’ll be taken to Key West before being placed into the immigration processing system.
Dry Tortugas National Park will be closed for several days at least, according to officials. For the time being, no visitor services will be available.
Dry Tortugas is about 70 miles west of Key West and is actually closer to Cuba than it is to the American mainland. The park is comprised of 99% water and is accessible only by boat or plane. The park was established to protect island and marine ecosystems, submerged cultural resources including shipwrecks, and to preserve Fort Jefferson, built from 1846 – 1875 to guard the nation’s gateway to the Gulf of Mexico.
National Park News
