Suspected illegal migrant smuggling boat appears in beachside millionaires’ town for third time in under a month
Anoter suspected human trafficking boat was intercepted and brought into Newport Harbor Saturday, authorities said, marking the third time in less than a month a vessel with alleged illegal migrants has appeared in the millionaires’ town.
Federal officials said the vessel contained 11 men, two women and a young boy, all claiming to be nationals of Mexico. Video provided to The California Post shows at least two suspects being detained by agents on a dock in posh Newport Harbor.
All 14 people aboard were turned over to US Border Patrol. The boat that carried them was seized by authorities.
Newport City Council member Erik Weigand is horrified another suspected human trafficking vessel appeared in the busy local waters after similar incidents occurred on Sept. 5 and 19.
“It’s alarming,” said Weigand. “We know that it’s due to the borders being much more secure than they were in the previous administration, so these guys are finding new ways to get into the country.”
The drama unfolded Saturday afternoon around 1:30 p.m., federal officials said, when a US Customs and Boarder Protection Interceptor Vessel captured a fishing-type vessel suspected of human trafficking in ocean waters outside Newport and brought it to dock.
The CBP boat raced into the harbor along with the alleged smugglers, drawing the attention of boaters and beach goers gathered in the area for the annual Pacific Airshow, an event featuring US Air Force planes that draws massive crowds to Newport.
Officers at the dock took all those aboard the smuggling boat into custody. One passenger suffering from dehydration and seasickness was evaluated and cleared by emergency medical workers. Footage provided to The Post shows the two men sitting on the dock in handcuffs.
A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security in a statement said CBP is committed to upholding the rule of law.
“Maritime migration is dangerous and can too often result in death,” said the statement. ” “Illegal aliens should not embark on a dangerous journey. The United States border will remain closed to illegal migration by sea, air, and land.”
Saturday’s interception came two weeks after a boat carrying suspected migrants landed at a private dock on, dumping a payload of a dozen men ashore. The 20-foot vessel they arrived in was abandoned after striking and damaging a nearby yacht.
Residents said the men deposited the vessel that came landed in the 400 block of Edgewater Place got into a pair of vehicles that were waiting to pick them up. Authorities are investigating the incident.
Two weeks before the Edgewater landing, a Coast Guard cutter intercepted a 28-foot cabin boat carrying two dozen suspected illegal migrants in the waters due west of Newport. The people aboard were taken to Newport Harbor and handed over to Border Patrol agents.
Federal officials say human traffickers in Mexico commonly work with organized crime syndicates to move illegal migrants into the US. As security has tightened at the border, more have taken to the sea.
Officials say sneaking over water is the most expensive, and riskiest, way that illegal traffickers get people across the border. Authorities in July found 21 illegal migrants packed onto a small smuggling boat, including an unresponsive 56-year-old man who later died.
Weigand said the steady traffic of pleasure boats in Newport Harbor may be used as cover for smugglers there, but residents are sick of the danger caused by such illegal activities.
He’s pushing a project to install security cameras at the mouth of Newport Harbor to protect the local waterway from smugglers. A video system used to detect boats without tags could be used to identify potential traffickers, he said.
“Having some fixed equipment right at the narrowest part of our harbor would be a great tool in preventing these coordinated landings,” said Weigand. “A coordinated operation that monitors the comings and goings of our harbor would be beneficial to everyone.”