A smuggling boat carrying Chinese nationals and other undocumented migrants was intercepted off Florida by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Coast Guard in what sources described as a rare and “extremely dangerous” attempt to enter the United States by sea.
CBP confirmed the operation exclusively to Fox News and released video and photographs showing authorities stopping the vessel. The 27-foot cuddy-cabin boat was carrying 22 migrants, including 13 Chinese nationals. Everyone aboard was arrested without incident Tuesday near Angelfish Creek, close to Key Largo.
According to CBP, an Air and Marine Operations multi-role enforcement aircraft spotted the vessel first. The joint operation with Coast Guard personnel led to the arrest of a suspected smuggler from Cuba, along with 13 Chinese nationals, eight Ecuadorian nationals and one Dominican national.
Sources told Fox News that attempts by Chinese nationals to enter the United States through Caribbean maritime routes are highly unusual. Those routes are more commonly used by Haitians, Dominicans and Cubans. During the Biden administration, Chinese migrants generally crossed through land routes in California and Texas, where enforcement has since tightened under the Trump administration.
Andres Blanco, executive director of CBP Air and Marine Operations’ Southeast Region, told Fox News that “attempting to enter the United States illegally by sea is extremely dangerous and will not go undetected.”
Blanco said the operation “demonstrates the strength of our maritime partnerships and our commitment to stopping human smuggling organizations before they can put more lives at risk.”
He warned that people who undertake such voyages could face arrest, prosecution and removal, while also confronting “the very real possibility of losing their lives at sea.”
The migrants were transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Pablo Valent for processing, while authorities seized the smuggling vessel.
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Coast Guard Lt. Corryn Ulrich, commanding officer of the Pablo Valent, said after the operation that “the US border remains secure due to highly capable teams and coordinated interagency enforcement.” She added that officials “remain ready to save lives and enforce federal law at sea.”
CBP says its Air and Marine Operations unit is responsible for anticipating and confronting aviation and maritime threats to the nation’s security.
President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are scheduled to meet Thursday in Washington, D.C.
Gordon Chang, a senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute, said that despite public claims of a positive relationship between the leaders, Xi is considering a war with the United States and preparing Chinese troops “for battle.”
“Xi Jinping keeps on talking about going to war against us… and also he’s preparing China’s society, civilian and military, for battle. And we think we’re at peace,” Chang said Sunday on “Fox News Live.” “So, this is a very dangerous period for us.”
Chang made the comments after reports that China assisted Iran in attacks that killed three U.S. troops in Jordan earlier this summer.
The maritime interception comes as the Trump administration faces renewed scrutiny over its immigration enforcement policies. The debate intensified after a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer shot a Venezuelan migrant in Austin on Sunday. The Department of Homeland Security said the man, Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, “illegally entered the country under the Biden administration and had a final order of removal during a law enforcement operation.”
Perez’s attorney, Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, disputed DHS’s account and said he entered the United States lawfully. DHS said Perez survived the shooting, remains in stable condition and is being held in federal custody pending removal. The incident has sparked large protests in Austin, while Democratic politicians have condemned ICE and the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies.