Authorities Detain 23 in Connection with Suspected Panga Boat Smuggling Operation off California Coast

This past weekend, border authorities successfully apprehended 23 individuals attempting to enter the United States illegally in a thwarted smuggling operation off the coast of California.

The operation was conducted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) air and marine teams, who intercepted a panga-style vessel on Saturday. The interception occurred just west of San Clemente Island, which is located near San Diego, according to official reports from the agency.

At approximately 1 p.m., CBP crews boarded the vessel, discovering 23 individuals on board who had entered the country illegally. These individuals were subsequently taken into custody.

Following their arrest, the 23 individuals were transferred to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) based in San Diego, where they will face further immigration proceedings.

They were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in San Diego. 

The illegal immigrants arrested appeared to be all men and women. 

In February 2025, the mayor of San Clemente, a coastal city just north of San Diego, told Fox News Digital about an uptick of panga boats that often came ashore to drop off illegal migrants who then disappeared inland.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection building (Getty Images)

“We’ve had a large increase in the number of pangas that have come up on our beach,” Steve Knoblock said at the time. “It happens, and nobody seems to notice. No one seems to capture it. There’s no interdiction, and we’ve been having them with much greater frequency.” 

In 2021, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) warned of increased sightings of pangas being used for smuggling in Southern California. The fishing boats are used by smugglers to transport migrants and illegal drugs, according to ICE. 

At the time, ICE said around 90 migrants were caught along the coastline of Los Angeles County on the Palos Verdes Peninsula and in San Pedro, Long Beach, Malibu, Santa Catalina Island and Newport Beach in Orange County. 

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