Yesterday, the Coast Guard made an unusual encounter off the coast of southern California. Over a dozen individuals from various nations were discovered at sea by Coast Guard Sector San Diego alongside a Coast Guard Cutter Benjamin Bottoms and assets from Air Station San Diego and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations.
These individuals, now identified as aliens in the governmental context, not the extraterrestrial kind, included Mexican, Chinese, and Indian nationals. The Coast Guard operation was executed to disrupt safely and intercept a suspected human smuggling attempt. According to an announcement on the U.S. Coast Guard's official website, the Benjamin Bottoms crewmembers handed over the custody of the individuals to Customs and Border Protection for further processing.
The Coast Guard remains vigilant in their efforts to uphold maritime law and the safety of those on the open sea. "The Coast Guard works closely with federal and international partners to disrupt human smuggling operations and ensure the safety of those at sea," a Coast Guard representative was quoted, as per the U.S. Coast Guard's official website.
