Illegal immigrants smuggled into Newport Beach on boat, authorities say

Authorities believe that a boat found at Crystal Cove State Park was used to smuggle illegal immigrants.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officials , eight to 10 people reportedly came ashore on a small boat, then shed their life jackets and some clothes as they scattered about the area. Officials said the group was aboard a panga boat, a type of open-hulled Mexican fishing boat frequently used in coastal smuggling.

About 7 a.m. Tuesday, a visitor at Moro Beach, one of the beaches at Crystal Cove, called police to report the incident. The person was not able to identify the ethnicity of anyone in the group, saying only that they pulled ashore and ran in several different directions.

Immigration authorities received a report of a second boat seen motoring back southward from the beach minutes after the first boat was found on the sand, said Border Patrol spokesman Lt. Michael Jimenez.

Read the full story here.

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-- Joseph Serna, Daily Pilot / Times Community News

Photo: A panga boat lies abandoned at Crystal Cove State Beach, where eight to 10 people reportedly came ashore and scattered. The boat drew looks from beach-goers as U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents investigated the case. Credit: Times Community News

Comments

[California Girl]

Surprising that the Times has bothered to print this. This happens all the time and they tend to ignore it. How about an article from the Times showing how many people get in this country this way or at least an estimate? They won't cover this type of thing because it does not fit their pro illegal agenda.

[arpaio]

There needs to be greater interior enforcement..

[hadituptohere]

Oh, but our borders are as secure as before! Exactly, they're NOT MORE SECURE, BUT AS SECURE!!!

[uncle_vito]

"The person was not able to identify the ethnicity of anyone in the group". But I will give you one guess.

Must have been Chinese. They sailed over from China to escape the commies.

[Fed Up]

They probably can be found at the Day Laborer site in Laguna Canyon.

[Pedro Gambino-Gotti]

I'm guessing they were either Pacific Islanders or Irish.
Si Se Puede!!!

[West Valley Dave]

When will you liberal media types call a spade a spade. These people aren't "immigrants" ! They are criminal illegal alien invaders!

[RealityCheckeer]

This cracks me up.

The U.S cannot and does not want to control its own borders, as politicians are more interested in votes to stay in power than they are in protecting the border, yet at airports they want to sexually assault you and especially your underage kids, including producing kiddie-porn with their Rapescan porno scanners sold by former Homeland Security Theater Head Chartoff, but they are ok with Muslim bombers entering airports with trucks laden with fertilizer bombs, and suicide bomber Muslims with entering the cues to TSA Security Theater lines, and Muslims secreting a pound of explosives in their body cavities, something Al Qaeda has already done.

[Brainiac]

Illegal aliens arriving in Newport Beach? Must be Obama's fault! That damn Obama guy!!

[Devils Advocate]

It was the Mexican navy seals training.

[headjazzh]

They were probably Russian Jews!

[arpaio]

Shame on the Hispanics for turning their backs on their country and fleeing to the U.S. for a better life provide by the white man. Shame on you, sell-outs.

[Marcos El Malo]

We need to build a twenty foot wall around the entire country and then draft every other citizen for militia duty manning the ramparts and checking on suspicious activity inside our borders. Only when we are living in a police state like North Korea will we be safe from immigrants, mostly because by that point no one will want to come here and the walls will be for keeping people in.

We expect total and complete enforcement of our borders, and we don't care how much freedom we lose to attain this!! Let's kkkeep Merica Merican.

[Your Mama]

You are all ignorant! First of all, this country does not 'belong' to white people. Believe it or not, whites immigrated to the U.S. so you cannot say this is your home just because you're white. So who can call this land home? Well, that depends on what regions we're talking about because southern california has been Mexican longer than it has been American. You stupid people believe everything in your text books. Open your eyes!!!

And just to be clear, I am agains illegal immigration, but not immigration.