The United States Coast Guard has confirmed that it intercepted a boat carrying 16 illegal immigrants off the coast of California’s Mission Bay on Sunday morning.
In a Sunday press release, the United States Coast Guard said it had “interdicted a vessel with 16 aliens aboard approximately 15 miles off the coast of Mission Bay, Sunday morning.”
According to the press release, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Active notified the Joint Harbor Operations Center at roughly 12 a.m. that a “25-foot panga-style” vessel with between 15 and 20 people on board was spotted roughly one mile south of the Coast Guard cutter’s position.
Following the notification of the panga boat spotting, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Active and a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations crew launched boarding teams to assess the situation, according to the press release. The Coast Guard confirmed that the boarding team found “16 aliens” on the panga vessel.
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According to Coast Guard officials, initial interviews of the illegal immigrants indicated that all of the individuals on the boat were originally from Mexico. The Coast also announced that the illegal immigrants were transferred into the custody of U.S. Border Patrol officials.
“The Coast Guard remains committed to protecting lives at sea while working alongside our federal partners to combat illicit maritime activities,” the press release stated. “These operations highlight the coordinated efforts between agencies to secure our maritime borders.”
A picture of the panga boat and the illegal immigrants was shared Sunday on X, formerly Twitter, by the U.S. Coast Guard of Northern California. In a caption to the picture, the U.S. Coast Guard of Northern Carolina tweeted, “Early this morning, crews from the Coast Guard Cutter Active interdicted a panga with 16 aliens aboard off the coast of Mission Bay.”
According to NBC 7, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials have confirmed that the agency has worked in coordination with other agencies to respond to over 200 smuggling attempts by water over the past three months. The outlet noted that the smuggling attempts have included individuals trying to illegally enter the United States by using personal watercraft, recreational boats, flotation devices, and panga boats.