IMPERIAL BEACH, CA – San Diego Border Patrol agents encountered multiple Mexican swimmers recently, having ocean rip currents to get to the promised land of USA.
In the early morning of May 16, San Diego Sector Communications notified Imperial Beach Station of a group of people swimming northbound from the international boundary. Agents responded and spotted 11 subjects in the water. The agents made multiple attempts to communicate with the swimmers and have them exit the ocean. Seven of the subjects immediately returned to Mexico while four continued northbound, exited the ocean and ran eastbound into the Border Field Park where they were eventually apprehended.
“Any attempt to swim around the international border is extremely dangerous for even the most experienced swimmers.” said SDC Chief Patrol Agent Aaron Heitke. “Smugglers do not care about the lives they are endangering, they will make them swim at night, ill-equipped for the frigid temperatures and without flotation devices or safety equipment.”
The beach near Border Field State Park is known for its dangerous rip currents. This is the same area where two Border Patrol agents saved a Mexican citizen from drowning, in September of 2021.
The agents conducted wellness checks and determined that no medical assistance was needed. The four individuals were determined to be Mexican citizens present in the U.S. without authorization and were transported to the Imperial Beach Border Patrol Station for processing.
