Two Indians among 19 arrested for illegally entering US from Mexico

New York: Two Indian nationals were among 19 people arrested by the US border patrol officials in California for entering the country illegally by boat from Mexico.

The US Border Patrol agents working in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) law enforcement partners, arrested 19 people, a press release from the US Customs and Border Protection said.

Late Sunday night, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) aircraft spotted a panga style vessel enter US territorial waters from Mexico with multiple people on board. The AMO notified the US Coast Guard and they interdicted the panga approximately 24 kilometers west of Point Loma, California.

A total of 19 people were intercepted, of which two were identified as suspected smugglers. The other 17 were passengers illegally present in the US.

All 19 male illegal aliens were arrested and taken to a nearby Border Patrol station for processing. Agents determined that two of the passengers were Indian nationals, while all others were Mexican nationals, the release said. It did not give any details of the two Indian nationals.

The suspected smugglers are in the DHS custody and may face human smuggling charges.

Since 2013, the US has admitted more than half a million illegal immigrant minors and family units from Central America, most of whom today are at large in the US.

The DHS considers a person inadmissible when they appear at a port of entry without proper documentation for legal entry into the US. Those apprehended are individuals caught trying to enter illegally between ports of entry.

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