The U.S. Coast Guard on Monday evening intercepted a boat carrying 21 illegal immigrants from three countries headed toward San Diego.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection notified Coast Guard officials at the Joint Harbor Operations Center around 10:45 p.m. of a 40-foot panga-style vessel traveling north approximately 40 miles from the maritime boundary line, the Coast Guard said in a Wednesday press release.
Two Coast Guard cutter teams, with help from CBP, were able to stop the boat, at which point they discovered that it was carrying 21 passengers.
“Initial interviews revealed that all individuals claimed Mexican nationality, although subsequent checks identified two passengers as Guatemalan and Salvadoran nationals,” the Coast Guard said in its press release.
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The passengers were safely transferred to CBP custody.
The boat encounter comes amid a national crackdown on illegal immigration and border security under the new Trump administration.
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The Coast Guard is also supporting the national transportation of illegal immigrants to designated locations in Texas and California, where the Department of Defense will then transport those in custody internationally.
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“In accordance with the President’s Executive Orders, the Coast Guard continues to surge assets and leverage its unique capabilities to protect America’s borders, territorial integrity, and sovereignty,” the Coast Guard acting commandant, Adm. Kevin Lunday, said in a Jan. 25 statement.
The Department of Homeland Security says it has made 7,300 illegal immigrant arrests in the last week alone.
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