Immigrant smugglers take to the seas after being blocked at the border

The most recent evidence that smugglers of undocumented immigrants have changed their ways washed up on shore near Torrey Pines earlier this week. The empty, 26-foot fishing boat found on the coast of north San Diego County was most likely abandoned after carrying illegal immigrants who might have paid more than $4,000 each to make the relatively short but risky nighttime voyage from Baja California, officials said.

The number of such illegal ocean crossings is still relatively small, with 11 boats having been seized so far this year. But immigrant smuggling by boat has grown in recent years as more stringent enforcement has made it much more difficult to cross the border on land, reports the North County Times.

It's not easy smuggling people on the Pacific, either. With soaring fuel prices reducing the number of pleasure craft at sea, the smugglers' boats are more likely to be noticed by U.S authorities. As a result, smugglers have taken to traveling at night and heading farther out to sea (as much as 20 miles) before making landfall higher up the San Diego County coast. That might make it harder for the smugglers to be caught but also puts them and their immigrant passengers at greater risk, said Juan Munoz-Torres of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. In March, for example, 15 undocumented immigrants were rescued about 10 miles off the San Diego coast after their boat drifted for a day and a half without food and water.

"It's certainly a dangerous way of bringing people into the United States," he said.

-- Jesus Sanchez

Photo: A U.S. Customs boat used to catch smugglers. Credit: Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[keanolo]

Absolutely Congress must pass and fund the SAVE ACT (HR 4088) if this nation is ever to begin to solve the cancer known as illegal immigration. In addition I reccmmend all concerned Americans call or E-mail their respective congressperson to also seek appropriations for at least one hundred more fugitive operations teams. With 200+ teams working 24/7/365, interior removals can be in the half million range per fiscal year. I know that LA County and San Bernadino county needs at least ten more hunter/removal teams in addition to those working right now.

[thommas]

$4,000 for transport. These people have money. If they make $2 / hour in Mexico.......it would take 2,000 hours of work to make $4,000. I would assume that while they are working in Mexico, they are paying for food, rent, electricity, medical, dental and other daily expenses.......which means that if this took 1/2 of their income...they would have to work for 4,000 hours to be able to save $4,000. That would be about 400 straight days of working 10 hours a day, 365 days a year without time off. Since they would have days off, vacation, laid off from the job........it would take a minimum of 1 1/2 to 2 years to save up $4,000. I would think that you would be rich in Mexico with $4,000 CASH. So, the real reason they come here illegally......is not for the money (they obviously have money)........they come here for the social benefits....free medical treatment....free food at food banks......free social services...........they don't need to buy auto insurance..........and they can always hide behind a fake name.............in otherwords......they can do what they want and not have to worry.........they can break the law by coming here and they can break the law while they are here. Remember that the United States has a provision for having workers come in legally...........we don't need the illegal ones to fill the jobs.

[Carracticus]

We should endorse the federal SAVE ACT (H.R.4088) that would add real, razor sharp teeth to state immigration laws. We need more enforcement to stop the interdiction of trucks bringing in drugs and illegal immigrants into America. Funding is being cut by the Democrats, so they can gut the border fence and stop the enactment of the Federal SAVE ACT. An army of ICE agents, twenty thousand more border patrol along with massive funding, to supply helicopters, spy probes and other equipment for internal enforcement. The e-verify data base the Fed's are using has a 90.5 success rate. It would be a major deterrent against pariah employers, who hire illegal workers. Its pennies of what taxpayers are unknowingly spending now. We need 'no tolerance' enforcement, that will give maximum arrest and detainment of predator employers of illegal immigrants.

A new AMNESTY is in the works from Senator Obama, McCain which will flood America with even more of poor, illiterate foreign labor. Those who steal across our perforated fence, includes the criminal element with a third world country mentality. Each day citizens are slain on the roads of America, by drunk illegal drivers. Then we have the street gangs protected by 'Sanctuary cities' like Los Angeles. The unsuppressed news reports will tell you about the child pedophiles, female assaults, murders, robbers and Social security theft. Our government secretly skims from your payroll checks, 356 billion dollars annually to support the illegal immigration occupation of our nation. Unfortunately this is not all, because this doesn't take into account expenditure on education, health care or our overcrowded prison system. More unsuppressed facts at NUMBERSUSA. Join for free hundreds of thousands of others who have had enough of the invasion.

[Carracticus]

We should endorse the federal SAVE ACT (H.R.4088) that would add real, razor sharp teeth to state immigration laws. We need more enforcement to stop the interdiction of trucks bringing in drugs and illegal immigrants into America. Funding is being cut by the Democrats, so they can gut the border fence and stop the enactment of the Federal SAVE ACT. An army of ICE agents, twenty thousand more border patrol along with massive funding, to supply helicopters, spy probes and other equipment for internal enforcement. The e-verify data base the Fed's are using has a 90.5 success rate. It would be a major deterrent against pariah employers, who hire illegal workers. Its pennies of what taxpayers are unknowingly spending now. We need 'no tolerance' enforcement, that will give maximum arrest and detainment of predator employers of illegal immigrants.

A new AMNESTY is in the works from Senator Obama, McCain which will flood America with even more of poor, illiterate foreign labor. Those who steal across our perforated fence, includes the criminal element with a third world country mentality. Each day citizens are slain on the roads of America, by drunk illegal drivers. Then we have the street gangs protected by 'Sanctuary cities' like Los Angeles. The unsuppressed news reports will tell you about the child pedophiles, female assaults, murders, robbers and Social security theft. Our government secretly skims from your payroll checks, 356 billion dollars annually to support the illegal immigration occupation of our nation. Unfortunately this is not all, because this doesn't take into account expenditure on education, health care or our overcrowded prison system. More unsuppressed facts at NUMBERSUSA. Join for free hundreds of thousands of others who have had enough of the invasion.