CARLSBAD, Calif. — Local leaders are calling on federal authorities to step up border security along San Diego's beaches as the number of smuggling incidents along our coast continues to climb.
Video captured over the weekend in Carlsbad shows a motorboat dangerously speeding through the water, then running ashore as a group of people rush off and evade capture.
Local elected officials said this weekend's incident is one of a growing number of maritime smuggling attempts here along San Diego beaches, and they're calling for action from Sacramento and Washington D.C. on both sides of the political aisle.
"It was a very coordinated effort," said San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond.
The video shows a speedboat barreling toward the Carlsbad shore on Saturday, eventually beaching itself on land..
"First I'm thinking how dangerous it was," said Carlsbad Mayor Keith Blackburn. "No regard for public safety, for surfers, for people who were in the water at the time or even on the beach."
A group of people run off the boat, heading into a Carlsbad Village neighborhood, where they're whisked away by SUVs that appear to be waiting for them.
"We don't know who these people are, we don't know where they went or where they're going," said Desmond.
Local leaders are sounding the alarm, calling on state and federal officials to step up enforcement of illegal boat landings like this one on San Diego beaches.
"The chaos at the border and the fact that many of these crossers know there'll be no consequences here encourages this and it makes our cities less safe," Said Oceanside Deputy Mayor Ryan Keim.
They're calling for increased Coast Guard patrols and greater investment in equipment, personnel and technology to monitor and intercept unauthorized vessels.
"We must do better and we must do better now," said San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones.
From 2020 to 2023, according to Customs and Border Protection, maritime smuggling in California have increased by 139% to nearly 740 reported incidents last year.
"My real concern is human trafficking," said Blackburn, "What are they bringing in with them, what drugs , weapons, and who's on the terror watch list who's coming in via boats?"
"This should be a bipartisan issue," added Desmond. "This shouldn't be a left or right issue."
Democratic Congressman Mike Levin called on House Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday to bring a maritime border security bill to the House floor for a vote, which would double the range in which Customs and Border Protection agents could operate to address migrants and other vessels arriving by water along our coast.
"We need to enforce our immigration laws as opposed to just letting people come here illegally and then we don't do anything about it," Desmond said.
That can be challenging, though, according to these local leaders, because of Senate Bill 54: statewide legislation that currently forbids local law enforcement from working with federal agencies like ICE and Border Patrol on immigration enforcement.
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