see also: in October 2008:   Mexican Military Makes Accidental Incursion into the U.S.   CBP Officers Apprehend Illegal Alien Hidden on Rail Car   Border Patrol Agents Make Several Drug Seizures Near Laredo   CBP Officers at the Calexico Downtown Port of Entry Intercept Cocaine Smuggling Attempt   CBP to Open Andrade Port of Entry Earlier During Agriculture Harvest Season   Layered Enforcement Snags U.S. Citizen, Foils 3 Smuggling Attempts   CBP Announces Online Method for Meeting SENTRI Vehicle Requirements ...more on cbp.gov:   Press Officers   CBP News Releases on the web:   America's Waterway Watch

contacts for this news release

San Diego - Five Mexican migrants were apprehended this afternoon by Coast Guard officers and Customs and Border Protection marine interdiction agents as they tried to illegally enter the U.S. by boat.

At 9:26 a.m., the Coast Guard received a report from CBP officials of suspicious activity aboard a red speedboat headed northbound into U.S. waters, about a quarter-mile off shore.

As CBP tracked the migrants, Coast Guard Station San Diego responded with two 33-foot law enforcement vessel crews, which caught up with and stopped the 20-foot runabout. A 39-foot CBP vessel crew responded as well. During their boarding, the crews found the five suspected migrants in addition to the vessel's operator.

The migrants and the driver were embarked by the Coast Guard, and their speedboat was towed back to Sector San Diego. There, they were turned over to officers from the Maritime Task Force for further processing.

"Migrant smuggling on the high seas is illegal and often dangerous to the perpetrators, their passengers and the law enforcement personnel sent to stop the activity," said Capt Tom Farris, Commander of Coast Guard Sector San Diego. "The Coast Guard, CBP, and our DHS and Harbor Police partners will continue to attempt to secure our borders from illegal smuggling while working hard to insure safety of life at sea.”

For more information on how the boating public can assist the Coast Guard in border security, please visit America's Waterway Watch. ( America's Waterway Watch )

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.