A small boat launched from the US Coast Guard Cutter Spencer approaches 191 Haitians in the Caribbean Sea on August 29, 2025. (US Coast Guard photo)
The US Coast Guard (USCG), working with US Customs & Border Protection (CBP), intercepted more than 260 migrants in recent days in over half a dozen encounters with human smugglers at sea. Two of the largest busts happened within days of each other.
191 Haitians Intercepted
On August 29, 2025, the crew of the USCG Cutter Spencer stopped a small overloaded boat carrying 191 Haitians. The Coast Guard safely returned them to Haiti, marking 603 Haitian repatriations at sea so far this fiscal year.
A flotilla of law enforcement vessels intercepted three smuggling boats off the Florida coast on August 30, 2025. (US Coast Guard photo)
Smuggling Operation off Florida
A day later, CBP and DEA agents, working with multiple agencies, intercepted three smuggling boats from the Bahamas about ten miles off Fort Pierce, Florida.
Authorities discovered 30 Chinese citizens and 5 Bahamians aboard. They arrested another three Bahamians on shore waiting for the boats’ arrival.
They also seized 168 kilograms of cocaine hidden across the vessels.
Smuggling Attempts off California
The Coast Guard also disrupted several smuggling attempts along the California coast in recent weeks.
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September 2, 2025 – A USCG helicopter spotted a suspected smuggling boat near Church Rock, California.
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A Los Angeles County Lifeguard boat reached first, finding it sinking with 11 migrants aboard.
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The lifeguards stabilized it until the Coast Guard arrived and took custody of the group.
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An LA County Lifeguard stabilizes a sinking smuggling boat with 11 people aboard on September 2, 2025. (US Coast Guard photo)
13 Migrants Found Near San Diego
On August 28, 2025, the USCG Cutter Forrest Rednour stopped a 22-foot cabin cruiser near San Diego.
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The crew found ten adults and three minors aboard.
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One adult said he was Guatemalan; the rest identified as Mexican.
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One woman was the mother of the three children.
The Coast Guard transferred all 13 migrants to a cutter off Point Loma.
More Busts in Southern California
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August 30, 2025 – The Coast Guard intercepted six migrants aboard a 22-foot pleasure craft off Dana Point. Five said they were Mexican; one claimed Guatemalan citizenship. DHS took custody.
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August 16, 2025 – A Coast Guard crew stopped seven Mexican migrants aboard a 20-foot boat off Newport Beach.
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August 6, 2025 – Authorities arrested two migrants riding a jet ski 4.5 miles south of San Diego.
Coast Guard crews stop a smuggling boat with six migrants aboard off Dana Point, California, on August 30, 2025. (US Coast Guard photo)
A Busy Few Weeks
As noted at the start, federal authorities have had a hectic couple of weeks chasing smugglers off both coasts, stopping hundreds of migrants and seizing narcotics in the process.
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