see also: in March 2008:   Summer Months an Added Challenge for Border Patrol   Los Meses de Verano, un Reto Para la Patrulla Fronteriza   Border Patrol Agents Rescue 38 Illegal Aliens from Smuggling Attempt   Laredo North Station Border Patrol Agents Arrest MS-13 Member   Laredo Sector Border Patrol Agents Arrest 18th Street Gang Member   El Paso CBP Officers View HDTV: Hidden Drugs in TV Set   El Paso Border Patrol Agents Arrest Criminals with Extensive Records ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers

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San Diego, Calif. - U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Coast Guard rescued 15 foreign nationals off the coast of San Diego this morning, officials announced today.

At about 8 a.m., CBP Air and Marine agents and Coast Guard personnel heard a radio report from a sea-towing company that a vessel appeared to be in distress. The sea-towing company in San Diego had received a call from a passing pleasure boat and put out a call on a maritime radio channel monitored by boaters and law enforcement agencies.

A CBP Air and Marine go fast boat and a 33-foot Coast Guard rescue vessel responded to the call and arrived at the 24-foot blue and white skipjack boat at about 8:30 a.m., 20 miles north of the border with Mexico and 12 miles off the San Diego coast.

CBP and Coast Guard personnel provided water to the 15 adult individuals, including four females, who complained of hunger and thirst. Some appeared to be sunburned and dehydrated. There were no reports of serious injuries. They stated that they had been without food or water for the past three days.

Nine of the individuals were loaded onto the CBP Midnight Express vessel and the remaining six were placed on the Coast Guard vessel.

Later that morning when the vessels arrived at the dock at the Marine Corp Recruit Depot in San Diego, the 15 individuals were transferred into the custody of the U.S. Border Patrol for processing.

The distress vessel was towed to shore by the CBP go fast boat.

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.