Border and Immigration Enforcement

U.S. Customs and Border Protection air and marine units intercepted a panga-style boat just west of San Clemente Island near San Diego over the weekend and found 23 people aboard who were in the country illegally, officials said. The interdiction occurred around 1 p.m. Saturday, and all 23 migrants — described as men and women — were turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement in San Diego for processing. CBP and ICE have for years warned that fast, low-slung panga fishing boats are increasingly used by smugglers to move migrants and drugs along the Southern California coast, often landing on beaches near communities like San Clemente before passengers disperse inland undetected. Local officials in San Clemente have previously complained of a sharp uptick in such landings and limited interdictions, and federal warnings in 2021 cited at least 90 migrants caught in similar panga operations along the Los Angeles and Orange County coastline. The case underscores ongoing vulnerabilities along the Pacific maritime border and gives fresh fuel to political battles over California coastal enforcement, smuggling networks, and broader U.S. immigration policy.