The United States Coast Guard arrested human smugglers who crashed into their patrol boat during a getaway attempt and attacked them, according to court documents.
On January 5, Coast Guardsmen arrested Oscar Eduardo Audelo-Rodriguez and Francisco Brado-Cota for illegally entering the U.S. by sea near San Diego, attempting to smuggle Mexican immigrants into the country. Around 4 p.m. that day, two Border Patrol agents spotted a boat in Mission Bay that matched descriptions of a vessel believed to be involved in smuggling.
The agents noticed an unusually large number of fishing poles compared to the number of visible passengers—a common tactic used by smugglers to make a vessel appear as a legitimate fishing boat—and prepared to intercept, Military.com reported.
As the boat approached a launch area, one agent concealed himself near a public restroom. Several individuals disembarked, and the agent instructed them to sit. However, two men jumped back into the boat and sped off.
One of the agents confirmed that the four remaining individuals on the dock were Mexican citizens attempting to enter the U.S. without immigration documents, and they were subsequently arrested.
The Coast Guard was alerted to the rogue boat and, after making contact, instructed the men to stop their escape attempt. However, the smuggling boat had other intentions.
“The vessel rammed into the USCG vessel, and the two occupants of the vessel began throwing metal objects at the USCG boat and its occupants,” court documents read.
The Coast Guard fired disabling rounds at the motor of the illegal vessel and used pepper balls—non-lethal projectiles—against the uncooperative assailants. Due to the men’s refusal to surrender, the Coast Guard boarded the boat, sprayed the men with pepper spray, and ultimately subdued them, the outlet reported.
The suspects were taken to Ballast Point at Naval Base Point Loma and arrested around 5 p.m.
Rosa Enriquez-Andalon and Alejandro Sevilla Ramirez, two of the smuggled immigrants, stated they had planned to pay the smugglers between $7,000 and $16,000 once they entered the U.S. Angel Alejandro Lopez-Alvarez, a third immigrant, said he intended to pay 400,000 Mexican pesos, roughly $19,500.
Several individuals being smuggled identified Audelo-Rodriguez as the boat’s captain and Brado-Cota as the co-captain.
Between the summer of 2021 and the winter of 2023, the Coast Guard apprehended more than 27,000 individuals.
President Donald Trump has made border security and immigration enforcement a cornerstone of his second term after running heavily on the issue during his campaign. Tens of millions of migrants were allowed to illegally enter the country during the Biden-Harris administration, some of whom went on to commit heinous crimes inside the U.S., including a number of murders of American citizens.
But that said, his efforts are already being stymied by so-called ‘deep state’ operatives who oppose his administration — including FBI agents, allegedly.
Border Czar Tom Homan said this week that the FBI leaked information about upcoming raids that would target illegal immigrants and said that those responsible would go to jail.
“We think it’s coming from inside,” he told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Tuesday, referring to leaks to the media about recent ICE raids in Colorado.
Homan also said that the FBI was to blame for the leak of information about a big raid that was going to happen in California before the end of the month. He said, “Some of the information we are receiving tends towards the FBI.”
The raid was so large that FBI and DEA agents were to be assigned to assist ICE agents during the operation.
Homan stated that it was inevitable that the leaks would cause harm to the officers and that it was possible that “bad guys” were waiting for the officers to arrive and set them up.
Hannity asked Homan how certain he was that the FBI is involved, who replied, “I talked to the deputy attorney general this week, and they’ve opened up a criminal investigation. He thinks the information is coming from [the FBI].”
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
