Federal agents intercepted a boat packed with 14 illegal aliens off Newport Beach, the latest in a string of vessels carrying migrants near the wealthy Southern California enclave.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations crew stopped the vessel south of Newport Beach at about 1:30 p.m. Friday, CBP told Fox News Digital.
The group included 11 men, two women and an accompanied boy, all of whom were identified as Mexican nationals.
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Agents transported the group and vessel to a U.S. Coast Guard dock in Newport Beach before turning all 14 over to Border Patrol for processing and seizing the boat.
One person was evaluated for possible dehydration and seasickness but was stable and cleared by emergency medical personnel, CBP said.
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“Maritime migration is dangerous and can too often result in death,” CBP said. “Illegal aliens should not embark on a dangerous journey. The United States border will remain closed to illegal migration by sea, air and land.”
The interception is the latest in a series of suspected migrant boat incidents in and around the coastal city.
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Surveillance video obtained by FOX 11 Los Angeles last month showed another boat pull into Newport Harbor before at least a dozen people got off and dispersed into the community.
In a separate incident last month, 37 migrants were rescued offshore after reportedly spending two days without food, water or fuel.
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Cellphone video from another incident about two years ago showed more than 20 suspected migrants getting off a panga boat in Newport Harbor before scrambling into waiting vans.
The repeated incidents have prompted Newport Beach City Councilmember Erik Weigand to push for surveillance cameras near the harbor entrance.
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“The last Saturday, then the Saturday before, and a few Saturdays before that. These guys have been trying to unload illegal migrants into our city and then off into the community,” Weigand told FOX 11.
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Weigand is proposing two cameras that could use existing infrastructure around the jetties or seawall to monitor boats entering and leaving around the clock.
The councilmember said additional surveillance could give authorities an early warning when suspicious vessels approach and potentially allow law enforcement to respond before passengers reach shore.
“Yeah, we have to have some sort of discussion, but it would be a feature for security,” Weigand said. “I think having technology is a good thing. If we can have eyes and ears on something that looks suspicious, we could send up a drone.”
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Weigand said the larger concern is that authorities may have little information about who is aboard vessels approaching the coast or what they are carrying.
“They could be smuggling drugs, they could be simply just be looking for a better opportunity in America, or they could be up to terrorist activities,” Weigand said. “We don’t know, that’s the problem.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Weigand for additional comment on the recent incidents and his concerns about suspected maritime smuggling operations targeting the area.
