North County leaders address believed migrant boat high-speed racing ashore in Carlsbad

CARLSBAD, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — Another boat believed to be carrying several migrants washed ashore this weekend along the San Diego coast. This time, in Carlsbad.

Now, North County leaders are demanding action from both state and federal governments to tandemly secure the border and protect local beaches.

Within the last week, the San Diego border sector recorded the highest number of encounters in the country with 6,997, according to data from Customs and Border Protection. That’s the highest in the country.

Viral video from the latest believed smuggling incident shows a boat carrying over a dozen undocumented migrants racing ashore at a high speed near Ocean St. in Carlsbad. In its path, were surfers looking to catch a wave.

“They’re not afraid…they’re coming here at noon on Saturday at a crowded beach,” Carlsbad Mayor Keith Blackburn said Monday when addressing the media. “It’s starting to get so blatant; they’re not concerned about any kind of enforcement.” 

Blackburn along with several other North County mayors representing cities such as San Marcos, Vista and Oceanside say they need to see better enforcement and higher penalties for human smugglers.

They also called for an end to sanctuary city policies to strengthen both border and local security, citing a rise of 139% in maritime human smuggling events.

The viral video also shows the migrants hopping out of the vessel one by one to then run up street to a black GMC. Some were even spotted struggling aboard as the SUV began to drive away within the affluent suburban neighborhood on Ocean Street.

“It looked like it was all a planned deal,” said Carlsbad resident Susan Hargis.

She says she’s fed up with what she calls a trend in her area and is disappointed in the response at the local level.

“I’m frustrated, because I just listened to what they had to say today and it was ‘their hands are tied and they can do absolutely nothing,’” Hargis went on to say.

Blackburn pointed to massive border security bill, S.B. 54 as one of the culprits behind local limitations. He says the bill limits the response from local law enforcement, leaving the responsibility to border patrol.

“Border patrol agents, they’re great people, but their hands are tied, and they have not been able to stop people from coming across the border,” County Supervisor Jim Desmond said at the Monday afternoon press conference.

Resident Ellias Aguiniga saw the boat after the migrants had left. He says bipartisan support is a must to help find refuge for migrants fleeing to San Diego.

“I think the thing to do is probably to try and find a way to assist these folks,” Aguiniga said. “The issue of immigration has been highly politicized to the point where it kind of instills hatred.”

Representative Mike Levin (CA-49) also addressed the matter Monday when releasing a statement calling on House Speaker Mike Johnson to immediately bring H.R. 529, the Extending Limits of U.S. Customs Waters Act, to the House floor for a vote.

“Recent incidents of unidentified vessels landing onshore in our district have underscored the urgency of bringing H.R. 529 to the House floor for a vote. This bill would double the range in which Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents can operate to address migrants and other vessels arriving by water along our coast,” the statement says.

It would also stretch U.S. customs waters from 12 to 24 nautical miles, said to provide CBP with more support like interdicting drugs and addressing issues with migration.