US launches "hunt" at sea, catches dinghy full of illegal immigrants

2025-01-29 19:26:52Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
US launches "hunt" at sea, catches dinghy full of illegal immigrants
Raft with illegal immigrants near US coast

Even as the Trump administration's mass deportation of undocumented migrants continues in earnest, the US Coast Guard announced that it had intercepted a boat full of migrants off the coast of California.

A 12-meter-long boat attempting to smuggle immigrants into the United States was stopped by two Coast Guard crews on Monday night about 20 miles off the coast of San Diego, the Coast Guard said in a statement released Tuesday.

"Boarding crews discovered 21 individuals on the raft. Initial interviews revealed that all individuals claimed Mexican nationality, although subsequent checks identified two passengers as citizens of Guatemala and El Salvador," Coast Guard officials said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents notified the Coast Guard at about 10:45 p.m. local time on Monday, a boat was spotted, prompting the Coast Guard to launch two of its boats to find the raft, authorities said.

The people aboard the boat were brought ashore and turned over to the custody of Border Patrol agents, according to the Coast Guard.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has rounded up thousands of immigrants this week in raids across the country, including in New York City, Chicago and Miami. In a raid in New York City, ICE agents arrested a 25-year-old suspected Venezuelan gang member wanted for a robbery at a residence in Aurora, Colorado, officials said.


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