US national charged with human smuggling, attempts to bring 25 Bahamians across border

A United States national has been disgraced after being charged with 25 counts of human smuggling, after attempting to bring in 25 Bahamian nationals into the country through illegitimate means.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said that a Homeland Security Investigation has led Michael Andrew Milano, a 42-year-old of Merritt Island, Florida to be indicted. If convicted Milano will face up to 10 years in federal prison for each count.

Court documents claim that on the 29^th of February this year, Milano and an unnamed companion of his travelled to the Bahamas from Florida using a 42-foot vessel used for fishing. The indictment stated that during the stop in the Bahamas “Milano loaded 25 non-US citizen migrants onto the vessel.”

The migrants were made to lie flat on the deck of the vessel for the entire duration of the journey back to Florida. By pure coincidence, officers of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission were running a routine safety inspection in the region, this is when they ran into Milano, boarded his vessel and caught him red-handed.

“On board, they discovered the migrants, still lying flat on the deck. Federal and local law enforcement agencies responded, and the US Coast Guard took custody of the migrants to process and repatriate them.”

An indictment is merely a formal charge, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law. This case was discovered, investigated and solved by Homeland Security with the support of smaller surrounding agencies. It will be prosecuted by a US attorney.

The conditions the migrants were found in highlight the dangers of human smuggling, these migrants are often forced or coerced into unsafe and inhumane environments. Milano’s actions did break federal law, but more than that, they risked 25 lives.

The near-immediate indictment ensured that Milano would be held accountable for these actions. As of this time, it is unclear what is fated for the migrants, although it is assumed they will be deported back to their homeland.