Crime & Safety

Coast Guard Stops Panga Boat Carrying 20 Migrants Near Point Loma

All 20 people aboard the boat were taken into custody, according to the Coast Guard.

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Kristina Houck, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge
The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Haddock interdicts 20 migrants aboard a 30-foot panga-style-vessel about 21 miles west of Point Loma, California.
The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Haddock interdicts 20 migrants aboard a 30-foot panga-style-vessel about 21 miles west of Point Loma, California. (U.S. Coast Guard photo, courtesy Cutter Haddock)

SAN DIEGO, CA — The U.S. Coast Guard stopped a panga-style boat carrying 20 people off the coast of San Diego, officials announced.

A patrol aircraft with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Air and Marine Operations spotted the 30-foot boat at about 4 p.m. Tuesday about 21 miles west of Point Loma, according to the Coast Guard.

The agency notified the Coast Guard, which diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Haddock. The patrol boat launched its small boat crew for the interdiction.

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All 20 people aboard the boat were taken into custody, according to the Coast Guard. The 17 men and three women claimed Mexican and Chinese nationalities. They were taken to the Coast Guard Sector San Diego and transferred to Imperial Beach Border Patrol.

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