Border Agents Shoot Boat Engines to Stop Smugglers at Sea

Shift to Maritime Smuggling

• 🌊 With land crossings becoming more difficult, smugglers are increasingly using sea routes to enter the United States.
• 📈 This has led to a doubling of traffic in coastal sectors, particularly on the east side of the country, as anticipated by law enforcement.
• 🗺️ Cartel organizations are reverting to older, dangerous sea routes due to the southern border being more locked down.

Interdiction Tactics at Sea

• ⚓ US Customs and Border Protection, along with federal partners, are actively working to prevent maritime incursions.
• 🚤 Marine interdiction agents are authorized to disable vessels that refuse to stop, even after warnings.
• 💥 In a recent incident, agents were forced to shoot out the engine of a smuggling vessel after it evaded Mexican Navy and US Coast Guard.

Use of Force and Safety Protocols

• 🎯 Agents follow a protocol that includes attempts to get vessels to stop, followed by warning shots, before disabling engines.
• ⚙️ This tactic involves shooting a small, underwater engine to immobilize the boat.
• ✅ Despite over 350 incidents of disabling vessels with force, there have been zero injuries reported.
• ⚠️ One unit is on track to break records for disabling vessels this fiscal year, highlighting the increased use of this tactic.

Broader Immigration Context

• ⚖️ The Department of Justice is seeking the Supreme Court's permission to resume deportations of nearly 200 suspected gang members under the Alien Enemies Act.
• 📊 April data showed over 8,000 apprehensions at the southern border, a slight increase from March's record low.