The Coast Guard has been kept busy by a steady stream of migrants being brought illegally by cartel human smugglers into US waters since March. More than 120 of them have been apprehended before they could reach US shores.
Most of this illegal activity has occurred off the West Coast in the Pacific Ocean near San Diego. Here’s a rundown of these smuggling attempts as reported by the US Coast Guard :
Friday, March 27, 2026:
15 illegal aliens (from Mexico) were apprehended 16 miles offshore of San Diego aboard a 30-foot cabin cruiser whose captain tried, but failed, to outrun a Coast Guard cutter at 4:09 AM.
Thursday, March 26, 2026:
6 illegal aliens (from Mexico) aboard two boats were intercepted by the crew of a Coast Guard cutter shortly after they illegally crossed into US waters. One of the vessels attempted to return to Mexico, but the Coast Guard shot out its engines at 4:38 PM.
Wednesday, March 25, 2026:
8 illegal aliens (from Mexico) were apprehended by the US Coast Guard, who stopped the boat they were aboard three miles off San Diego at 8:04 AM.
12 more illegal aliens (from Mexico) were intercepted off San Diego by the US Coast Guard, who had to open fire on the boat’s engines before stopping it at 6:09 AM.
Sunday, March 15, 2026:
11 illegal aliens (from Mexico) were taken into custody by the US Coast Guard 7 miles west of Imperial Beach, California, after the boat they were aboard was detected illegally entering US waters from Mexico at 12:57 PM.
Sunday, March 1, 2026:
14 illegal aliens (from El Salvador, Nicaragua, Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico) were interdicted aboard a small “panga” boat by the US Coast Guard 10 miles southwest of Point Loma, San Diego, around midnight.
66 aliens were taken into custody by the US Coast Guard during those six interrupted human smuggling runs in March, 2026. (NOTE: These recent sea smuggling runs off California continue a trend we last reported on early last month).
And, while the cartels tend to keep their “loads” of illegal aliens paying to be smuggled into the US via the Pacific Ocean off California relatively small, it’s a different story for the human smugglers in the US waters of the Caribbean Sea off Puerto Rico.
On March 1, 2026, the US Coast Guard announced it apprehended 60 illegal aliens from Haiti and the Dominican Republic aboard a human smuggler’s “makeshift” boat in Mona Passage waters northwest of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. After taking control of the smuggling boat, the Coast Guard transferred the aliens to the Dominican Republic Navy for return to their countries.
“To those thinking of taking part in an unlawful migration voyage, don’t take to the sea! These voyages most often involve unseaworthy, grossly overloaded, makeshift vessels with no lifesaving equipment. They are highly unstable and could capsize without warning, killing everyone onboard.” Matthew Romano, Commander, US Coast Guard Sector San Juan
Are you surprised by the extent of human smuggling in US waters?
Share your thoughts in the comments to this story!
Abrazos,
Jack Beavers
Keep up the good work, love hearing the stats.