The U.S. Border Patrol has issued a warning to migrants of the danger of attempting to enter the United States by swimming across a maritime border after five separate incidents were recorded in one month.
In a June 1 news release, USBP reported that smugglers are sending migrants illegally across the U.S./Mexico maritime boundary via the waters of the Pacific Ocean, and "urges migrants to not expose themselves or their family members to the dangers of the ocean."
"Historically, swimming is a very dangerous method of illegally entering the United States," the USBP states in the release. "Smugglers put the lives of migrants in danger by exposing them to the harsh forces and dangers of the ocean."
Agents with the Imperial Beach Station in California documented five instances in May when migrants attempted unauthorized entry into the U.S. by swimming, the news release states. USBP agents apprehended seven individuals during these instances, while another nine successfully retreated to Mexico prior to capture, according to the release.
The first instance occurred May 3, when five swimmers were observed along the Imperial Beach coastline, the release reports. The swimmers turned and swam back into Mexican waters when they realized they had been spotted, according to the release.
A single individual was seen swimming across the maritime boundary on May 21; this individual was apprehended by Border Patrol agents, the release reports. On May 24, two swimmers were observed crossing the boundary line but managed to swim back across the boundary when the U.S. Coast Guard responded.
Two separate unauthorized-entry attempts were made May 25, the release reports. In the first incident, six swimmers were seen crossing the maritime boundary and later observed onshore north of the border. Agents apprehended four of the migrants; two of the migrants were able to return to Mexico. In the second attempt, two swimmers were seen leaving the water approximately two miles north of the border and were apprehended by USBP agents, the release reports.
The USBP reports that smugglers often convince migrants to swim across the maritime boundary line by falsely telling them that "the journey will be sweet and easy," the release states, "but the smugglers do not consider the migrants' physical condition or swimming abilities."
The migrants typically attempt the swim during nighttime to avoid detection. However, nighttime temperatures along the coast can drop dramatically and the water can be very cold and very turbulent, according to the release. Dangerous rip currents are also frequent in this area "which are hard to detect and can rapidly pull people away from shore and out to sea," the release states.
USBP partners with various federal, state and local law-enforcement agencies to coordinate operations through the Regional Coordinating Mechanism (ReCoM) to mitigate "transnational maritime threats" along the southern California coast, the release reports.
“Swimming across the maritime boundary line is extremely dangerous for even the most experienced swimmers,” Aaron Heitke, chief patrol agent for the San Diego sector, said in the release. “Smugglers do not care about the lives they endanger; and continue to send migrants who are ill-equipped to deal with the frigid and dangerous waters of the Pacific Ocean.”
Heitke began his career as a Border Patrol agent in Yuma, Ariz., in 1998 and worked in leadership roles at USBP stations around the country before joining the San Diego sector as deputy chief patrol agent in 2019. He was promoted to Chief in 2020, and oversees 2,400 agents in eight stations, according to the USBP. Heitke, who briefly practiced law before joining the USBP, holds a bachelor's degree in criminology, as well as a juris doctorate.
