Boat Carrying Unauthorized Immigrants Capsizes Near San Diego Beach

January 27, 2025 TruthUSA

Surfers and lifeguards sprang into action to assist.

A boat carrying a group of illegally smuggled immigrants capsized off a San Diego beach in the early hours of January 25, sending approximately 20 individuals into the water. Lifeguards and surfers quickly responded to help them, as reported by city officials.

“Lifeguards were quick to arrive at the scene both by water and on the shore,” city spokesperson José Ysea communicated to The Epoch Times via email on Monday.

Firefighter units reached the location around 7:40 a.m. on Saturday and assisted with the rescue efforts, according to city reports.

Two individuals were trapped inside the cabin of the boat when it washed ashore, and rescuers successfully managed to extract them. One person was found unresponsive, prompting first responders to administer CPR, as stated by Ysea. Further details are not currently available.

This incident marked the second boat smuggling operation discovered on Ocean Beach that Saturday morning, located about 20 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border, according to city sources.

The first vessel was located around 6 a.m. in the vicinity of Scripps Pier that Saturday.

“The boat was abandoned, with no one present in or near the vessel,” Ysea commented.

A local photojournalist captured footage of the incident showing when one of the boats—a blue and white vessel—capsized in the surf south of a rock jetty located at Ocean Beach.

Lifeguard teams were also seen administering life-saving measures to an individual featured in the video.

Photojournalist Eddy Baier, whose footage quickly circulated on social media Saturday, shared with local news station KGTV that surfers were swimming out to the capsized boat and assisting the immigrants by bringing them onto their boards to swim back to the shore.

Baier also noted how people on the beach were providing blankets to the distressed immigrants, who appeared frightened.

“Given the current situation at the border … this highlights that there is human compassion for those who find themselves in peril like this,” Baier remarked on Saturday. “Many were cold and shivering, and fear was evident on their faces.”

Baier did not respond to a request for comment from The Epoch Times regarding the video on Monday.

Eight individuals were transported to nearby hospitals, as confirmed by the city.

Multiple units from the San Diego Police Department were deployed to the scene. Ysea confirmed that no federal officials were present at the site.

Instances of boats carrying illegal immigrants have been reported repeatedly along the San Diego coast in recent years.

Earlier in January 2024, a boat carrying over 20 immigrants was filmed arriving at a beach in the early hours, with the occupants disappearing into the streets of La Jolla.

Upon the arrival of U.S. Border Patrol agents, two boats were found at the location.

These recent smuggling attempts coincide with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s announcement under the Trump administration that they have begun enforcement operations across the country as of January 24, targeting “known criminal aliens who pose a threat to national security or public safety.”

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