Pacific Ocean Migrant Crisis: San Diego Leaders Call for Stronger Border Enforcement as Maritime Smuggling Surges

Illegal immigrants are increasingly taking dangerous journeys across the Pacific Ocean to enter the United States undetected. This has resulted in heightened risks for both migrants and coastal law enforcement agencies, according to border officials. Leaders from San Diego have called on stronger measures to enforce the border, stating that without checks there will always be individuals encouraged to embark on perilous voyages with no regard for consequences. Recently a motorboat packed with suspected illegal immigrants landed ashore in Carlsbad, leaving authorities baffled as they had no idea who was aboard or where they came from. This incident has been labelled “a coordinated effort” by San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond, who warned that the situation is unsustainable and dangerous for coastal communities living nearby. Since fiscal year 2020 there have been a near-140% increase in maritime smuggling events along California’s coastline according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP). This trend has led Brandon Tucker, director of Air & Marine Operations in San Diego, who has detected a drastic uplift on surveillance images during his infrequent patrols. Desmond called for an end to the “incentives” that encourage such activity as he and other leaders demanded more federal resources be deployed along California’s coastline due to growing safety concerns brought about by unchecked immigration, which has been enabled by a law prohibiting local police from collaborating with Border Patrol.