Illegal Immigrants Arrested After Coming Ashore at Imperial Beach in San Diego

Federal agents arrested eight people in San Diego, California, on Nov. 1 after a suspected smuggling boat came ashore at Imperial Beach.

The 19-foot craft landed south of the beach pier at around 7:55 a.m.

A lifeguard spotted the boat as it came ashore and witnessed a group of people exit the boat and head to a nearby street, U.S. Border Patrol spokesman Victor Pirro told the San Diego Union-Tribune.

There was also an alert from the Coast Guard/Harbor Joint Operation Team that monitors suspicious vessels, reported Fox 5.

Border Patrol agents found the group of eight people a couple of blocks away, saying they smelled strongly of gasoline. The group included two suspected smugglers and were all Mexican nationals who entered the country illegally.

The boat was carrying seven 10-gallon fuel tanks and had exposed wiring and no life vests.

“It was extremely dangerous,” Pirro told the Union-Tribune. “They all smelled of gasoline and they had exposed wires from the battery. It was very dangerous.”

Smuggling in San Diego

The arrests came after Border Patrol and its partners busted two smuggling operations in San Diego in September.

Border Patrol agents arrested eight people who illegally landed near La Jolla on Sept. 25 after traveling there by panga boat. All of the people were Mexican nationals and two men, a 38-year-old and a 50-year-old, were identified as suspected smugglers.

The three women in the group claimed to be pregnant and complained of stomach pains so they were taken to a nearby hospital for observation.

Earlier in September, agents and partners arrested 26 people off the Pacific Coast near San Diego that were associated with maritime smuggling, including one vessel that had 19 people on board, all of whom were determined to be Mexican nationals illegally present in the United States.

“Maritime smuggling is an extremely dangerous human smuggling method. Transnational criminal organizations prioritize monetary gain over the wellbeing of those they attempt to smuggle. Smugglers often overcrowd small, open vessels, and in the cases where personal flotation devices are provided, these are often unsafe and insufficient,” the Border Patrol stated.

“Unpredictable sea and surf conditions, visibility, and weather are not important considerations to smugglers. Smugglers place an emphasis on profits over their victim’s safety by placing them in unpredictable and unsafe conditions,” the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Protection website stated.

From NTD.tv