MIAMI (NewsNation) — More than 100 migrants made landfall in the Florida Keys in the latest large group making their way to the state from Haiti and Cuba by water in recent months, the U.S. Border Patrol said.

Border patrol and law enforcement responded to the site in Tavernier, south of Key Largo in the island chain, early Thursday, Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar said in a tweet. First responders were assisting the migrants at the scene, he said.

Some 114 Haitians were on board a handmade vessel that traveled about 700 miles. Conditions at sea were extremely dangerous, according to migrants on the boat.

“I came from Haiti; didn’t feel secure in Haiti, it was a bad life,” said one migrant who made the roughly eight days at sea journey to the Florida Keys.

CBP said each individual underwent a medical screening, was processed, then transferred to local border patrol stations.

“There are smugglers that are involved. You know, unfortunately, they make more money based on how many people they put on the boat. So, the more individuals on a boat, the more profit for the smuggling organization,” said Adam Hoffner, division chief for U.S. Customs and Border Patrol’s Miami sector.

On Wednesday, another 26 migrants were taken into custody after making landfall on Marquesas Keys, a string of uninhabited islands off Key West.

In early January, the Biden administration announced a new policy of turning back many migrants at the Texas border while also offering a new kind of humanitarian parole to Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans.

Federal officials said by late January land crossings by migrants of those nationalities had slowed to a trickle. They also have said they expect the new policy to deter sea crossings, partly because migrants who arrive illegally can become ineligible for the new parole program.

People from those nations have been eagerly applying for the new program.

Still, CBP said these incidents serve as yet another example of what agents deal with. CBP’s Miami sector said there have been more than 250 migrant landings since Oct. 1. In those landings, there have been more than 4,600 migrants – which is an increase of 350%

Dangerous sea crossings have continued by Cuban and Haitian migrants as inflation soars and economic conditions deteriorate in their home countries. In the four months since Oct. 1, the Coast Guard has intercepted more than 5,321 migrants at sea. That compares with 6,182 for the entire previous year, and 838 for fiscal year 2021.

Those intercepted at sea are generally returned, but the fate of those who arrive on Florida shores can depend in part on their nationality. Haitian immigrants who arrive illegally get sent back more often despite severe economic hardship and rife political violence at home.

Because the U.S. and Cuba do not have formal diplomatic relations, it is difficult for the American governor to return Cuban migrants. Often, they are released to relatives in South Florida but given an order that requires them to contact federal immigration authorities periodically to confirm their address and status. They are allowed to get work permits, driver’s licenses and Social Security numbers, but cannot apply for permanent residency or citizenship.

Meanwhile, Republicans in the Florida Senate passed a bill they believe may help this ongoing problem. Senate Bill 6B gives the state the authority to fly migrants who arrive in Florida to anywhere in the country.

The proposal creates the Unauthorized Alien Transport Program, which gives Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration the right to relocate migrants within the country if they have been processed by the federal government.

The program expands on a provision in last year’s budget, which DeSantis used to relocate 50 South American migrants using millions in taxpayer dollars from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.

The bill will allocate $10 million for these efforts.

Democrats have criticized DeSantis’ migrant flight program and argued Wednesday that the governor was making political pawns out of migrants.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.