SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — The U.S. Coast Guard intercepted a small boat carrying 10 individuals suspected of entering the country illegally early Tuesday morning off the coast of Point Loma, federal officials announced.
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The interdiction occurred around 4 a.m. when a Coast Guard Cutter, the Forrest Rednour (WPC 1129), stopped a 15-foot panga boat about 9 miles southwest of Point Loma.
According to a press release from the Coast Guard’s Pacific Southwest office, the operation began around 2:30 a.m. when personnel at the Coast Guard Sector San Diego Joint Harbor Operations Center received a report of an unidentified vessel moving toward U.S. waters. A nearby patrol unit was quickly dispatched to investigate.
Upon interception, the Coast Guard boarding team discovered 10 individuals aboard, all of whom claimed to be Mexican nationals. Officials referred to them as “suspected aliens” in the press release.
The vessel and its passengers were transported to Ballast Point, where they were transferred to another Department of Homeland Security agency for further processing. Officials have not released additional details regarding the individuals’ identities.
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