SAN DIEGO—Working with U.S. Department of Homeland Security partners, U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) agents arrested 14 people this morning who entered the U.S. illegally by boat.

The event began Tuesday at approximately 12 a.m., when the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) spotted a vessel operating without any running lights near the international marine boundary line. The USCG requested assistance from CBP Air and Marine Operations (AMO) due to the suspicious vessel continuing north off the coast of San Diego.

The camouflage painted pleasure craft was intercepted by AMO agents eight miles west of Mission Bay, Calif. Agents interviewed all 14 passengers onboard and determined they were Mexican nationals illegally present in the U.S. Those arrested included 12 adult males and two adult females. Agents transported all 14 to a nearby Border Patrol station for processing. Two men in the group were charged with alien smuggling and their boat was seized by AMO.

DHS partners stopped a camouflaged

vessel off the coast of San Diego used

to smuggle 14 people.

Since October 1, 2019, AMO agents across the country have been involved in the apprehension of 4,153 individuals through CBP and DHS components.

When CBP officers, USBP agents, and AMO personnel secure our Nation’s borders, they are protecting every city, county, and community throughout the U.S.

If you have information about maritime smuggling or suspicious activity along the coast of California, call 9-1-1, and you will be directed through the proper channels.