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Stowaway found in plane's landing gear compartment at Miami airport

The man was found after the American Airlines flight from Guatemala City landed in Miami.
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A man was being examined at a hospital after he was found in a plane's landing gear compartment at Miami International Airport Saturday morning, authorities said.

The 26-year-old was apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers after he "attempted to evade detection in the landing gear compartment of an aircraft arriving from Guatemala," the agency said in a statement.

He was initially checked out by emergency medical services workers before being sent to a hospital for evaluation, the agency said. His condition was not released.

American Airlines said in a statement the incident happened on flight 1182 from Guatemala City to Miami. The flight lasted 2 hours and 37 minutes, according to flight tracker site Flight Aware, which noted the aircraft was a Boeing 737-800.

The plane arrived in Miami at 10:06 a.m. and was met by law enforcement, the airline said.

"Persons are taking extreme risks when they try to conceal themselves in confined spaces such as an aircraft," CBP said. "This incident remains under investigation."

On June 7, after arriving in Guatemala City the previous night, Vice President Kamala Harris warned potential migrants, "Do not come. The United States will continue to enforce our laws and secure our border."

She was quickly criticized for dissuading migrants after President Joe Biden promised a more humanitarian border policy in the wake of President Donald Trump's hard line.

"It’s impossible to have it both ways — one cannot exclude and be welcoming at the same time," Katie Adams, domestic policy advocate for the United Church of Christ, said the next day.