Coronado, Calif. — On Saturday evening, U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested nine Mexican nationals after they illegally entered the country aboard a small, open-bow boat along the San Diego County coastline.
At about 6:20 p.m., agents on patrol spotted a suspicious boat traveling with no visible running lights and approaching the shoreline near Dog Beach in Coronado. Agents observed the vessel come ashore and all of its occupants quickly disembark.
Agents intercepted the group of seven males and two females and determined that they were all Mexican nationals who had entered the United States illegally. They were arrested and transported to a local Border Patrol station for processing and further investigation. Agents identified two of the arrested men as being responsible for this smuggling attempt. They are in federal custody pending prosecution for alien smuggling. The vessel was seized by the Border Patrol.
The U.S. Border Patrol is a member agency of the Maritime Unified Command. The Maritime Unified Command, comprised of the Coast Guard, CBP, ICE, and state and local law enforcement partners operating in the San Diego and Orange County maritime domain, utilizes the fusion of intelligence, planning, and operations to target the threat of transnational crime along the coastal border.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.
