Thursday, September 25, 2008

Jack Day says he was walking up to his commercial sightseeing boat at Key West Bight on Wednesday when he was stopped by men and women claiming to be federal agents.

"They were already on board when I walked up," Day said. "They said under Title 18 of the U.S. Code they could board any vessel they wanted without the owner's permission. I have no idea how long they were on my boat. I wish I knew."

Day was one of several Key West residents stopped and questioned in the bight area Wednesday by people who identified themselves as federal agents, but offered no explanation for their actions.

Mike Hall, a captain who works on Day's boat, was aboard when the alleged agents arrived. Hall said they brought a dog on board, but didn't tell him what they were doing.

"I've never seen something like this in the 40 years I've been on the water," Day said.

Day said one of the people said he was with U.S. Customs and Border Protection. None of them would explain why they boarded his boat or what they were looking for, Day said.

The Citizen contacted U.S. Customs and Border Protection offices in Key West and Miami. Officials in those offices said the agency was not involved in an operation in Key West Wednesday morning.

A Coast Guard spokeswoman said Wednesday that her agency was not conducting an operation at the bight, and was unaware of any other operations in the area. A spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement said that agency was not involved, either.

Across the docks from Day's boat, Rick Smalley, owner of a boat-rental business, said he, too, was approached by the people and told a similar story -- that they were federal agents checking the area and didn't need permission from owners for such activity.

Day called it "typical government harassment," but added that he usually deals with the Coast Guard and never has any problems with that organization.

Three witnesses said they saw Monroe County Sheriff's Office deputies with the group.

"As far as I know, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection were doing routine checks and not after anything in particular, and asked us to come along," said Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Deputy Becky Herrin.

Carl Lopez reported being accosted by a group of the apparent agents near the Key West ferry terminal on his way to work. Lopez has worked at the ferry terminal for years, he said, and plans to file a formal complaint against Customs and Border Protection.

"They stopped me and started asking all these questions about who I was and where I was going and what was in my bag -- they interrogated me," Lopez said.

Lopez said they demanded to know when he was last outside the United States and if he had a passport. Lopez said he wouldn't answer them until they identified themselves.

"They said they were with Customs and Border Protection, investigating people at the terminal, but they wouldn't really give me a straight answer about why or what they were doing," Lopez said. "I was in shock."

alinhardt@keysnews.com