Coast Guard fires on boats run by human smugglers near San Diego

The incident occurred around 5:50pm off the coast, about two miles south of Point Loma near San Diego, according to the Coast Guard.

The report says crews under supervision at the San Diego Joint Harbor Operations Center in the Coast Guard sector reported they saw an 18-foot Cuddy Cabin ship travelling at high speeds north.

The surveillance crew continued to use surveillance cameras to continue visual contact with the boat as they entered San Diego Bay, the Coast Guard reported.

The crew of the coast guard boat, already on the water for daily patrols, was instructed to intercept the boat. After finding it, the crew tried to establish communication with the vessel’s operators.

“After multiple failed attempts to force the vessel to stop using verbal commands and warning shots, the crew adopted a fire that obstructed the fire,” the Coast Guard reported Monday.

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The crew fired four rounds into the boat’s engine and took it out.

The Coast Guard crew then boarded the ship and controlled it, officials said.

Eight illegal immigrants were on board the ship. This included five male adults and one female adult. Two boys, ages 16 and 17, were also on board, according to the Coast Guard.

All passengers were taken to Ballast Point and transferred to the Department of Homeland Security, officials reported.

“The Coast Guard is wary of protecting life at sea as well as maritime borders,” he wrote on X.

From May 4 to May 10, the unit also intercepted 11 ships involved in illegal maritime smuggling involving 37 illegal immigrants, according to the Coast Guard.

After President Donald Trump tightened the security of the border this year, water off San Diego has become a hot spot for human smugglers.

Several illegal immigrants were rescued after the boat was overturned near the bay.