In separate incidents, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) officers detained commercial fishers in the U.S. states of Texas and Massachusetts after discovering they were in violation of U.S. immigration laws.
On 14 February, Coast Guard officers boarded commercial fishing vessel Los Nietos operating near Port Isabel, Texas. Officers determined that one crewmember was a Mexican national illegally present in the U.S. The crewmember was detained and transferred to U.S. Border Patrol for processing.
Officers also arrested the captain of the vessel for an outstanding felony warrant for weapons charges, and he was later booked into the South Padre Island Jail.
“The Coast Guard remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring the security of our nation. The at-sea apprehension of an alien illegally present in the U.S. and a vessel’s captain with an active arrest warrant underscores the critical role we play in both immigration enforcement and national security.” Nina McDonald, the enforcement division chief of the USCG Sector in Corpus Christi, said in a statement. “Alongside our partners, the Coast Guard will continue to uphold the rule of law and disrupt illicit activity along our nation’s maritime border."
In an unrelated incident off the coast of Massachusetts on 20 February, Coast Guard officers conducting a routine vehicle inspection of a commercial fishing vessel discovered that two crew members were illegally present in the U.S. The Coast Guard said the crew was found to be in violation of the 75/25 rule, a federal law that requires at least 75 percent of a vessel’s crew to be U.S. citizens.
The two crew members were transferred into the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers from the Boston Field Office.
“The Coast Guard stands firm in its mission to safeguard our waters and enforce the law,” Samantha Corcoran, public affairs officer for the First Coast Guard District, said in a statement. “This detention highlights our vital role in upholding maritime regulations and protecting national security at sea.”
