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Immigration enforcement is about the law, Border Patrol chief says
Border Patrol chief Michael Banks gives an update on efforts to secure the southern border on ‘The Story.’
Two U.S. Coast Guard cutters snatched more than a dozen alleged illegal immigrants Wednesday off the coast of San Diego.
Just before 4:30 a.m., the crew aboard one of the cutters intercepted a 20-foot cabin-style vessel carrying 15 alleged illegal immigrants about 10 miles northwest of Point Loma, according to a news release from the Coast Guard.
There were 11 adult men and four adult women aboard the boat, all claiming Mexican nationality, according to the release.
All 15 alleged illegal immigrants were taken into custody by the Coast Guard and transferred to U.S. Border Patrol personnel.
NEARLY 800 ILLEGAL ALIENS ARRESTED IN MASSIVE FLORIDA ICE OPERATION: ‘TIDAL WAVE’
The boat was carrying 15 people. All were detained. (USCG)
The arrests come after a record-shattering immigration operation in Florida, which resulted in more than 1,100 arrests in just one week.
Operation Tidal Wave, a massive immigration enforcement crackdown, involved U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Miami and multiple Florida law enforcement agencies.
ICE TOUTS RECORD-BREAKING IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT DURING TRUMP’S FIRST 100 DAYS
Just four days into the operation, officials announced there were nearly 800 arrests, including a convicted Colombian murderer, alleged MS-13 and 18th Street gang members and a Russian with an Interpol Red Notice for manslaughter.
Two Coast Guard cutters participated in the takedown. (USCG)
VENEZUELAN GANGSTERS NABBED AT NORTHERN BORDER GATEWAY BY THE DOZENS SINCE TRUMP INAUGURATION
While there has been pushback amid arguments about due process, ICE arrested more than 66,000 illegal immigrants and removed more than 65,000 during the president’s first 100 days of his second term.
Those arrests included 2,288 suspected gang members from Tren de Aragua, MS-13, 18th Street and other gangs.
Alleged illegal immigrants on a boat off the California coast. (USCG)
In addition to gang members, ICE said more than 1,300 of those arrested were accused or convicted of sex offenses, and 498 were accused or convicted of murder.
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“If you enter this country illegally, you are a criminal,” ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan said during a news conference Thursday. “You will be deported. You will have the opportunity to be able to come back into this country through the correct immigration processes.
“We are working through those every single day, but our No. 1 goal is to keep the American people safe from the criminals who are walking in this country who never should have been let through in the first place.”
Alexandra Koch is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital. Prior to joining Fox News, Alexandra covered breaking news, crime, religion, and the military in the southeast.