U.S. Border Patrol agents intercepted a panga boat carrying 19 undocumented immigrants who had entered the United States illegally Sunday night.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) aircraft spotted the small boat around 11:15 p.m. entering U.S. waters from Mexico, and the Coast Guard intercepted the boat just before 4 a.m. Monday approximately 15 miles west of Point Loma.
All 19 were arrested and two were identified as suspected smugglers. All of the undocumented immigrants were adult men – 17 were found to be Mexican nationals and two are Indian nationals.
They were all taken to a nearby Border Patrol station for processing.
The suspected smugglers are in DHS custody and may face human smuggling charges. The vessel was also seized.
Border Patrol agents worked in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security.
