Border Patrol Arrests 16 Undocumented Migrants On Fishing Boat

SAN DIEGO, CA — U.S. Border Patrol agents found 16 undocumented migrants from Latin America on a sports fishing vessel Saturday and arrested two operators suspected of human smuggling, the agency said.

A newly formed Border Patrol marine unit doing checks along the San Diego coast stopped the 25-foot fishing boat at about 7:45 p.m. as it entered the Mission Bay channel, the agency said in a news release. The boat appeared to be "heavy in the water."

After questioning two boat operators and three people on deck, agents checked the vessel and found 11 additional people inside the cabin. All of those aboard, including a 15-year-old unaccompanied minor, turned out to be undocumented migrants without permission to stay in the United States, according to the news release.

The 30-year-old boat operator and its 50-year-old co-operator, both Mexican nationals, were arrested and face federal human smuggling charges, the release said. The Border Patrol confiscated their boat and turned suspects over to the U.S. attorney's office in San Diego.

All others on board were from Mexico except one, who is Colombian, Border Patrol agent Juan Torres Jr. told Patch on Tuesday. Illegal immigration attempts by sea have grown more common this year to date, Torres said. The Border Patrol unit has found 1,400 suspects this year to date compared to 1,275 for all of 2020.

"Smuggling along the California coastline is not only illegal, it is inherently dangerous for all involved parties," Border Patrol Chief Patrol Agent Aaron Heitke said in the news release.