With the southern border sealed, illegal alien smugglers have returned to sneaking people into the country via risky water-based voyages on dangerously small vessels.
Border authorities intercepted a panga-style boat carrying 23 illegal immigrants near San Diego over the weekend and stopped another illegal smuggling operation off the coast of Miami on March 11.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection air and marine crews spotted the panga-style vessel around 1 p.m. Saturday off the California coast after
Crews intercepted the boat west of San Clemente Island and found 23 illegal aliens onboard, the agency shared on social media.
“Air and Marine Operations seized the vessel, and all subjects were turned over to San Diego ICE ERO,” the agency wrote. “Excellent teamwork and coordination from the air and sea ensured a safe and effective operation!”
In a separate interdiction off Florida’s southern coast, a CBP crew apprehended 15 illegal aliens in a failed nighttime smuggling attempt. The smuggling vessel was spotted around 11:45 p.m. on March 11 near Miami, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The crew aboard the CBP boat attempted to initiate a stop on the unknown vessel, which was running without lights to avoid detection.
Besides the boat’s Bahamian driver, the crew discovered four Dominican men, three Ecuadorian men, one Haitian male and one minor, and five Haitian women.
“Human smuggling operations at sea put lives at serious risk,” said Homeland Security Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. “This mission highlights the success that DHS’s hard-working law enforcement officers can achieve when working jointly with other agencies and state and local government officials.”
A nearby Lauderdale Marine Unit vessel assisted in transporting all occupants to the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter William Flores for processing. Among those on board, 11 of the illegal aliens were returned to the Bahamas on Sunday, March 15.
The other four illegal aliens were arrested by Homeland Security Investigations and are facing charges for human smuggling and illegal re-entry.
“We are thankful to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents, our U.S. Coast Guard Service members, and Homeland Security Investigations who protect this nation’s maritime borders and help dismantle criminal organizations that try to smuggle illegal aliens into the country,” Bis said.
Human smugglers appear to be stepping up water-based crossings with tough security measures in place along the U.S. southern border with Mexico, including the expansion of the Smart Wall border wall and high-tech surveillance measures.
Last month, marine crews from the San Diego area interdicted three boats suspected of smuggling 36 migrants into the U.S. from Mexico, FOX5 San Diego reported.
That bust was part of several coordinated maritime operations near San Clemente Island on Feb. 21-22. CBP arrested 82 people from Mexico, Central and South America and Africa—many with criminal histories.
Several smuggling boats were stopped off the Southern California coast, and the occupants were turned over to Border Patrol. The migrants on board had previous charges for reentry after deportation, driving under the influence, firearm possession, domestic violence, grand theft and resisting arrest.
“Whether on land, in the air or on the sea, CBP is coming after those who choose to break our laws and try to enter our country illegally, especially dangerous criminals who threaten our communities,” Air and Marine Operations Southwest Region Executive Director Hunter Robinson said after last month’s apprehensions in California.
San Diego Sector Chief Patrol Agent Justin De La Torre said human smuggling remains a “persistent threat” and authorities will process all individuals for removal or federal prosecution.
“Ensuring our country is safe doesn’t stop with apprehending those who attempt to enter illegally,” he said. “Together, we are committed to dismantling these networks and pursuing all available consequences to the fullest extent of the law.”
The San Diego coast has become a hotbed of smuggling activity in recent years. In 2021, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement warned of increased sightings of pangas, Fox News Digital reported.
The small fishing boats are used by smugglers to transport migrants and illegal drugs, according to ICE.
San Clemente, a coastal city just north of San Diego, has experienced an uptick in panga boats that frequently come ashore to drop off illegal migrants who then disappeared inland.
In February 2025, San Clemente Mayor Steve Knoblock told Fox News Digital the city has cameras on the pier and at the beach, but the cameras were not aimed toward the ocean to spot the pangas a mile or two out.
The city wanted to work with border authorities to enhance its surveillance cameras and better monitor areas farther out to detect panga boats carrying illegal migrants.
“Yeah, we really are interested,” Knoblock said at the time. “I know that what they say that is illegal immigration is not a problem. The point is they’re just people. But when you have drug smugglers and human traffickers and we’ve lost two hundred fifty thousand of our citizens to illegal fentanyl… To say it’s not a problem, it is a problem. It’s a serious public safety problem.”
Knoblock continued in the video interview: “Thank goodness President Trump has secured the land southern border. It’s like a balloon. You squeeze it in one spot, and it pops out in another. The land border is secure and now they are coming up on the ocean.”
