One person is dead after a large group of people tried to illegally enter the United States by swimming and entering the beach at Border Field State Park in San Diego, California, border authorities said.
Border patrol agents were notified around 11:40 p.m. on Oct. 29 of a group of about 70 people trying to illegally swim across the international boundary, around the border barrier between San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico, according to a release from Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Agents found an unresponsive woman they believed came from the group of swimmers, and they immediately performed CPR on the woman. Emergency medical services arrived on the scene and continued trying to resuscitate her, but she was unresponsive and was pronounced dead at about 12:30 a.m.
A total of 36 Mexican nationals, all adults who had swum around the border barrier, were taken into custody. They comprise 25 men and 11 women. Of the total, 13 people were pulled from the water by the U.S. Coast Guard. All were taken into custody and taken to a nearby Border Patrol station for processing.
“This is yet another example of the ruthless tactics smuggling organizations use to bolster their power and profits,” San Diego Sector’s Chief Patrol Agent Aaron Heitke said in a statement. “We will work tirelessly to pursue and bring to justice those responsible for this tragedy.”
Multiple agencies were also searching the area in the early hours of Oct. 30 “in efforts to locate any outstanding persons who may have been in distress.”
The agencies included U.S. Border Patrol, as well as CBP Air and Marine Operations, U.S. Coast Guard, San Diego Fire Department, and California State Parks.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s office of professional responsibility were investigating, per standard procedure.
