The Coast Guard intercepted a boat with 16 illegal aliens on board about 15 miles off the coast of Mission Bay in California on Sunday morning.
The Coast Guard issued a statement indicating that around midnight, the cutter Active informed the Joint Harbor Operations Center about a panga-style boat measuring 25 feet long with approximately 15-20 individuals onboard, located roughly a mile to the south of their current position.
A panga vessel is a slender, high-bowed type of boat commonly employed by individuals involved in the illicit smuggling of drugs and humans. Cutter Active and a crew from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations responded by deploying boarding teams to evaluate the circumstances.
During the investigation, the Coast Guard boarding team discovered 16 immigrants aboard the panga.
Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan was removed from her post after President Donald Trump returned to the Oval Office. (Getty Images)
Reports from Fox News Digital initially revealed that President Donald Trump had relieved the USCG Commandant, Adm. Linda Lee Fagan, citing concerns related to border issues, recruitment, and a purported “deterioration of trust.”
Officials claimed Fagan failed to address border security threats, provided insufficient leadership in recruitment and retention, had an excessive focus on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and covered up Operation Fouled Anchor, which was the Coast Guard’s internal investigation into sexual assault cases at the Coast Guard Academy.
Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
