The U.S. Coast Guard transferred seven undocumented immigrants to the Department of Homeland Security earlier this month after they were discovered on a boat off the coast of Newport Beach, it said in a news release.
At about 9 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 16, the watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach received a report from a boat crew on a routine patrol of a 20-foot vessel. The coast guard stopped the vessel and conducted a boarding, during which the crew identified seven suspected undocumented immigrants.
They also found water intrusion in the bilge. The crew secured the flooding source and initiated a tow of the vessel.
The group included five adult males and two adult females, all with no reported injuries or medical concerns. According to the Coast Guard, three were confirmed Mexican nationals, and the remaining four are suspected Mexican nationals.
The undocumented immigrants were transferred to the Department of Homeland Security following the boarding.
“The Coast Guard continues to work with partner agencies to detect, deter and interdict unlawful maritime migration along the Southern California coastline,” the department said in the news release on Aug. 17.
