Border Patrol agents make nearly a dozen arrests in Dana Point Harbor
Nearly a dozen people were arrested by United States Customs and Border Patrol officers in Dana Point last week, which they say happened after an unregistered boat was used to drop of undocumented migrants.
Agents were sent to the Dana Point Harbor last Thursday after receiving a call from a "concerned citizen" who said there was an unregistered vessel in their docks, according to a statement from Orange County government officials.
"While Border Patrol successfully detained approximately a dozen migrants, others were able to escape due to a coordinated look out effort and getaway vehicles," the statement said.
The boat was impounded by agents.
"Today, we are reminded how crucial the Orange County Sheriff's Department Harbor Patrol and the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol are for our Homeland Security," said Katrina Foley, Vice Chair of the Orange County Board of Supervisors. "Public safety remains our top priority while Congress works to fix a foundationally broken immigration system. This brazen and coordinated effort to bring migrants onto our shores is unsafe for our community, as getaway drivers frantically sped away from the Harbor, and dangerous for the migrants who were transported in nefarious conditions."
United States Congressman Mike Levin also shared a statement on the incident, which read in part: "Protecting our coast includes supporting our law enforcement and providing them the tools to prevent unauthorized crossings of our border, whether by land, air, or sea. ... I thank the Orange County Sheriff's Department Harbor Patrol for addressing boater safety issues and federal immigration agents for their swift, efficient, and effective enforcement of federal law."
