A group of suspected illegal immigrants reportedly docked a boat at a beach in La Jolla, California, on Thursday, then took off into the community.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said the Joint Harbor Operations Center called the agency about a pair of “suspicious vessels” carrying the individuals who were headed toward the area at approximately 5:30 a.m., the Epoch Times reported Friday.
The first boat landed at Ocean Beach, and officials said two hours later the second boat was traveling towards Windansea, the CBP said.
Video footage shows what appears to be one of the boats approaching a beach as neighbors watch. Moments later, the group is seen making their way across the street that overlooks the ocean and disappearing into the neighborhood beyond.
“Dude, they’ve got kids with them, too,” a person behind the camera said:
“I’ve seen the boat like five times, but I’ve never actually seen them do it,” the person stated while filming the vessel.
When U.S. Border Patrol and CBP Air and Marine agents arrived at the scene, the migrants were already gone, the Times article said.
The vessels and additional indicators apparently were consistent with a human smuggling operation, CBP later said, adding that officials were looking for the groups.
However, National Border Patrol Council union spokesman Manny Bayon said of the suspected illegal immigrants, “They’re gone. It’s like [trying to find] a needle in a haystack.”
When speaking about illegal immigration, Bayon said, “We could use the help from the U.S. Coast Guard, but they don’t want to touch it because it’s a political football.”
In a social media post on Thursday, Fox News national correspondent Bill Melugin shared the clip and said, “This happens along the California coast a lot more than people realize.”
“This group of illegal immigrants lands on the beach, then goes running off into what appears to be a residential neighborhood, with no immediate apprehension, in front of stunned locals,” he added:
A few months ago, a boat carrying illegal immigrants arrived in Malibu, California, where homes can cost up to $3.4 million, Breitbart News reported at the time:
The outlet continued:
The southern border with Mexico is mostly open to job-seeking migrants, so the landing likely includes many who were previously deported, or who have criminal records. Since 2021, Biden’s elite-backed deputies have invited roughly six million illegal foreign migrants into Americans’ homes and workplaces regardless of the pocket damage to ordinary Americans.
Interestingly, California’s State Senate passed a bill during the summer to offer unemployed illegal migrants $300 checks every week for up to 20 weeks, according to Breitbart News.