Coast Guard arrests human traffickers, sends illegals back on free ride to Bahamas; Fishing Boat Captain arrested on warrant, illegal crew member presented to Border Security

Coast Guard arrests human traffickers, sends illegals back on free ride to Bahamas; Fishing Boat Captain arrested on warrant, illegal crew member presented to Border Security

Coast Guard transfers 31 aliens to the Bahamas

Coast Guard Seventh District – 305-781-6922

MIAMI – Coast Guard Cutter Margaret Norvell’s crew returned 31 aliens of mixed nationalities to The Bahamas, Friday, following three interdictions of illegal maritime ventures in U.S. territorial waters east of Miami.  

Four suspected smugglers were transferred ashore to Homeland Security Investigations agent custody to support further investigation for potential federal prosecution.  

The Margaret Norvell crew notified Coast Guard Sector Miami command center watchstanders Sunday of a 25-foot recreational vessel transiting west at a high rate of speed from The Bahamas to Florida with no navigation lights. Sector Miami watchstanders launched a Coast Guard Station Miami Beach boat crew and diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Richard Etheridge crew while Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations launched a coastal intercept vessel crew to respond. CBP-AMO gained positive control of the non-compliant vessel, and the Margaret Norvell crew embarked all 22 people onboard. The aliens were of Jamaican, Haitian and Chinese nationalities.  

A Coast Guard Station Lake Worth Inlet boat crew and a Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office marine patrol unit interdicted a vessel with two people onboard Wednesday. The suspected smuggler was transferred to HSI for further investigation and the other, a Honduran alien, was transferred to Border Patrol agents to be processed for expedited removal.  

Sector Miami watchstanders were notified, Wednesday, of a CBP-AMO and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission interdiction of a suspected smuggling venture east of Key Biscayne. The suspected smuggler was transferred to HSI custody for further investigation, one alien was medically evacuated ashore for a higher level of care, and 11 aliens were transferred by a Coast Guard Station Miami Beach boat crew to the Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous for disposition. The aliens were of Chinese, Haitian, and Bangladeshi nationalities.  

“Illegal maritime migration is always dangerous and often deadly, and human smugglers do not care about the safety or lives of aliens during these ventures,” said Lt. Cmdr. John W. Beal, Seventh Coast Guard District public affairs officer. “Our message is simple – do not entrust your lives and money to criminal human smugglers just to be repatriated or deported. Don’t take to the sea.”  

Once aboard a Coast Guard cutter, aliens are processed to determine their identity and are provided food, water, shelter, and basic medical attention before repatriation to their country of origin or return to the country of their departure.  

Coast Guard detains illegal alien crewmember and captain of a fishing vessel with an outstanding felony warrant

A Coast Guard Station South Padre Island boat crew detained the captain of the fishing vessel Los Nietos for an outstanding warrant and a crewmember who was identified as being a Mexican National in the U.S. illegally on Feb. 15, 2025, near South Padre Island. The Mexican National was transferred to U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel. U.S. Coast Guard photo

PORT ISABEL, Texas — The Coast Guard detained an alien crewmember illegally present in the U.S. and the captain of a commercial fishing vessel near Port Isabel Friday afternoon.

During a commercial fishing vessel boarding, a Coast Guard Station South Padre Island boat crew identified a crewmember as a Mexican alien illegally present in the U.S. The captain of the fishing vessel, Los Nietos, had an outstanding felony warrant for weapons charges. The alien was transferred to U.S. Border Patrol for processing and the vessel’s captain was booked into the South Padre Island Jail.

“The Coast Guard remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring the security of our nation. The at-sea apprehension of an alien illegally present in the U.S. and a vessel’s captain with an active arrest warrant underscores the critical role we play in both immigration enforcement and national security,” said LCDR Nina Mcdonald, Enforcement Division Chief, USCG Sector Corpus Christi. “Alongside our partners, the Coast Guard will continue to uphold the rule of law and disrupt illicit activity along our nation’s maritime border.”

Members of the South Padre Island Police Department, Customs and Border Protection Air Marine Operations, and the U.S. Border Patrol assisted in the case.

The Coast Guard, along with its Homeland Security Task Force – Southeast partners, maintains a continual presence with air, land, and sea assets in the Florida Straits, the Windward Passage, the Mona Passage, and the Caribbean Sea in support of Operation Vigilant Sentry. The HSTF-SE combined, multi-layered approach is designed to protect the safety of life at sea while preventing unlawful maritime entry to the United States and its territories.   

Anyone attempting to enter the United States illegally by sea will be interdicted and repatriated, consistent with U.S. law and policy. Human smuggling events will be investigated for federal prosecution.