Featured News 2015 Woman Dies in California Border Patrol Boat Collision

Woman Dies in California Border Patrol Boat Collision

On June 18, 2015, a woman died when a boat packed with undocumented immigrants collided with a U.S. Border Patrol vessel off the coast of the North County in Oceanside, California, near San Diego.

In addition to the one fatalities, at least four other undocumented immigrants were hospitalized after the boating accident.

On Thursday morning, the boat full of undocumented immigrants were being smuggled into the U.S. That's when agents from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection spotted the suspicious vessel and immediately went to work trying to stop it.

Boat Capsized, Sending 20 People Into the Water

The agents fired warning shots, however, the boat ignored the agents' orders to stop. A collision ensured, sending 20 of the immigrants on the boat into the ocean, capsizing the boat.

It is unclear as to which boat initiated contact in the collision. It was also unclear as to whether the boat was only smuggling people, or if they were also transporting illegal drugs across the border.

The U.S. Customs and Border Protection has been very busy patrolling the border and trying to manage the surge of undocumented immigrants attempting to cross from Mexico into the United States.

Two main issues about border crossings: human smuggling and drug trafficking. One agent in San Diego, S. Gallagher said that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency doesn't want them conducting drug busts any longer, which has long been a key aspect of their job.

Gallagher said that there was a lot of pressure for them to get out of the drug interdiction game.

Looking for an immigration lawyer?

If you are dealing with an illegal immigration issue, or any other immigration matter, we encourage you to look through our directory to find a qualified lawyer who can help you!

Related News:

Healthcare Threatened for Those Without Proof of Citizenship

310,000 individuals that have signed up for healthcare under the Affordable Care Act are in danger of losing it. By September 5 th, these individuals must provide proof of citizenship or the will be ...
Read More »

Immigration Reform: Have the Immigrants Been Lost in the Process?

With so much discussion regarding the terms of immigration reform, the actual discuss of reform for the immigrants sake has been lost in nothing but political rhetoric. Rather than focusing on the ...
Read More »

What Happens if an Illegal Immigrant is Caught?

According to data from the Pew Research Center, there were 11.1 million illegal immigrants in the United States in 2014. Of those, 52% were from Mexico, though the number of Mexicans have been ...
Read More »