The U.S. Coast Guard intercepted six vessels suspected of maritime smuggling off the Southern California coast over the weekend, apprehending 82 illegal immigrants in a series of coordinated operations that included warning shots and a rapid-fire 90-minute interdiction of five boats south of San Clemente Island.
The operations, carried out alongside Department of Homeland Security partner agencies and the U.S. Navy, unfolded across two days. Saturday's events began around 12:30 p.m. when reports came in of three suspected smuggling vessels. By the time it was over, five vessels had been stopped within a 90-minute window, and a sixth was interdicted the following day near Sunset Cliffs.
No injuries were reported. All 82 individuals were turned over to DHS for further processing.
Five boats in 90 minutes
The Coast Guard described the intercepted vessels as 20-to-25-foot cuddy cabin-style boats carrying fishing gear and fuel barrels onboard. The first was found approximately 26 miles south of San Clemente Island with 10 individuals aboard, Military.com reported. A second carried ten people. A third held nine.
Two additional boats intercepted on Saturday carried larger groups. One held 16 migrants, of whom 14 claimed Mexican nationality, and two claimed Colombian nationality. Another carried 17 people: 16 claiming Mexican nationality and one claiming Guatemalan nationality.
In at least one case, warning shots were fired as a vessel initially failed to comply with commands to stop.
A total of 62 people were detained Saturday, including one unaccompanied minor.
Sunday's interdiction off Sunset Cliffs
The sixth vessel, a panga-style boat, was interdicted approximately 8 miles west of Sunset Cliffs on Sunday. Twenty migrants were found inside. Nineteen claimed Mexican nationality. One said he was a Sudanese national.
That last detail deserves attention. A Sudanese national on a panga boat off the San Diego coast is not someone who wandered across the nearest border. It's a data point that illustrates the global reach of smuggling networks funneling people through Mexico and into the United States by any route available, including the Pacific Ocean.
The maritime border is a border too
The land crossings dominate cable news, but the sea lanes off Southern California have become an increasingly active front. Last year, the Coast Guard reinforced its operational presence near the U.S.-Mexico border to bolster border security, and the numbers show why that was necessary.
In fiscal 2025, which ended on September 30, the Coast Guard logged 490 maritime smuggling events and 1,526 apprehensions. The previous fiscal year saw 589 incidents and 1,375 apprehensions. The incident count dropped, but the number of people caught actually increased, suggesting smugglers are packing more bodies into fewer runs. The economics of human smuggling, like any criminal enterprise, adapt to enforcement pressure.
Five boats intercepted in 90 minutes on a single Saturday afternoon tells you two things. The smugglers are operating at volume, running coordinated flotillas rather than isolated crossings, and the Coast Guard's reinforced posture is catching them. Both realities can coexist, as deterrence and interdiction are working while the threat remains significant enough to demand sustained resources.
Mexico's response
The Mexican Consulate in San Diego said on Tuesday that consular staff interviewed 32 Mexican nationals in immigration detention centers who were aboard the vessels to offer assistance as needed. The consulate also posted a video on social media warning people about the risks of crossing the border illegally by sea or other dangerous routes.
A social media video. That's the Mexican government's contribution to a smuggling crisis launching from Mexican waters, using boats that departed Mexican territory, carrying people who paid Mexican cartels or cartel-adjacent smuggling operations for passage. Posting a warning video is the diplomatic equivalent of a "wet floor" sign placed after someone has already slipped.
The boats came from Mexican waters. The enforcement came from the American side. That asymmetry is the story every single time.
What deterrence looks like
The coordination between the Coast Guard, DHS, and the U.S. Navy on these operations reflects the kind of multi-agency posture that actually produces results at the border, whether the border is a river, a wall, or open ocean. Warning shots were fired. Vessels were stopped. People were detained and processed.
Maritime smuggling doesn't generate the same political urgency as a caravan on foot or a gap in border fencing, but the principle is identical. Sovereign nations control who enters. The method of entry, whether by land, air, or a 25-foot cuddy cabin loaded with fuel barrels, doesn't change the law.
Eighty-two people were pulled off six boats in a single weekend. The Coast Guard caught them. The question is how many weekends look exactly like this one without making the news at all.
