14 Mexican Nationals Taken into Custody After Boat Intercepted Off Newport Beach

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations intercepted the boat around 1:30 p.m. south of Newport Beach using a Coastal Interceptor Vessel from the Long Beach Marine Unit, according to the Department of Homeland Security and a statement from CBP. The vessel, described as resembling a recreational fishing boat, carried 11 adult men, two adult women, and one accompanied juvenile male. All told authorities they were Mexican nationals.

Agents transported the boat and those aboard to the U.S. Coast Guard dock in Newport Beach. One person showing signs of possible dehydration and seasickness was evaluated by emergency medical personnel and cleared. U.S. Border Patrol assumed custody of the group for processing, and the vessel was seized.

Federal agents boarded a vessel south of the Orange County coast on October 3 and transferred all 14 people aboard to Border Patrol for processing.

Body-camera footage released by CBP shows agents approaching the boat with weapons drawn and directing people out of a compartment beneath the deck. The arrival at the harbor occurred while crowds were gathering for the Pacific Airshow. Reports indicate Jose Miguel Castro-Duenas, a 44-year-old Mexican national previously deported, faces federal charges related to attempting to transport undocumented migrants and illegal reentry.

The interception follows other recent maritime incidents near Newport Beach, including a September case in which a panga-style boat docked near Cypress Street, people disembarked and dispersed into the neighborhood, and the abandoned vessel damaged a nearby yacht. No arrests were immediately reported in that incident. Panga boats-open, low-profile fishing vessels often used in smuggling-have appeared repeatedly along the Southern California coast in recent years.