Another boat carrying suspected illegal migrants has been intercepted off Southern California, just days after nearly a dozen people reached affluent Newport Beach before disappearing into the surrounding neighborhood.
The latest incident occurred Tuesday night, when the Coast Guard stopped a 21-foot vessel about six miles off Point Loma. Eight adults were found aboard.
Watchstanders at the Joint Harbor Operations Center detected the suspicious boat at 8:02 p.m. and dispatched a boarding team from the Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Team Los Angeles/Long Beach.
The crew approached the vessel, gained compliance and detained all eight occupants. The Coast Guard identified them as suspected aliens.
The individuals were taken to Ballast Point and turned over to U.S. Border Patrol agents for further investigation.
The interception came only days after authorities struggled to locate another group that reached Newport Harbor on Saturday before disappearing among the area’s multimillion-dollar homes.
Nearly a dozen suspected illegal migrants reportedly jumped from a 20-foot boat after it sped into the harbor and struck a nearby yacht, causing damage. The vessel was then abandoned.
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Grainy surveillance footage showed the group leaving the boat near the Balboa Island Ferry before scattering on foot.
“Literally no regard for safety, just barreled in and everyone bailed out and just skirmished into the community,” Newport Beach City Council member Erik Weigand previously said.
Investigators are searching for additional footage from public and private security cameras that may help identify the group. Facial recognition technology could potentially be used as part of that effort.
Authorities have not determined whether anyone was waiting for the group onshore or whether vehicles helped them leave the area.
The two incidents are among a growing number of migrant-boat encounters reported in Southern California waters.
In an earlier landing near Newport Harbor, more than 20 suspected migrants reportedly jumped from a panga boat and climbed into waiting vans. Separately, the Coast Guard intercepted boats carrying groups of 21 and 24 people.
In another case, 37 suspected migrants were rescued nearly 100 miles offshore after their vessel was reportedly left drifting for two days without food, water or fuel.