The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) office found 72 migrants traveling in pangas early Tuesday in the ocean and rescued a woman who was at risk of drowning.
CBP reported Friday that it observed three pangas carrying people approaching the international maritime border and followed them on surveillance.
Around 2 a.m. Tuesday, CBP crews intercepted two of the pangas while the third came ashore at Sunset Cliffs.
Border patrol boats and CBP boats approached Sunset Cliffs looking for the migrants who had jumped ashore and tried to flee while a woman remained struggling in the water. A CBP officer jumped into the ocean to rescue her, and as the agent approached the rocky area, another officer helped pull the woman ashore. Authorities did not release her identity.
The woman and another migrant who was injured were taken to a hospital. In total, 72 migrants traveling in the three pangas were detained. They are all of Mexican nationality.
Brandon Tucker, Director of Air and Marine Operations for CBP, said that “smugglers do not consider the safety of their passengers; this situation could have been fatal for everyone on board.”
