August 22, 2025 — In the Florida Keys, immigration enforcement and changing international markets are draining the lifeblood of the island chain’s lobster industry. And locals are sounding the alarm.
For more than four decades, commercial fisherman Bruce Irwin has made his living on Keys waters. Working more than 100 hours per week to provide for his family, at the age of 63, today he said should be enjoying retirement. Instead, these days he’s back on his boats, filling the space of legal, documented immigrants at risk of being detained by immigration enforcement operations.
In early August, a social media post by Customs and Border Protection boasted of an arrest of “4 illegal aliens from Nicaragua” aboard a commercial fishing vessel in Marathon.
“Don’t try it … We are watching!” the post said. “Another win for #BorderSecurity.”
While the post generated a fair show of support, other comments from Keys locals weren’t so inviting.