Border Patrol agents detained 13 Mexican citizens Saturday who were found in a floating panga hundreds of feet from the La Jolla shoreline, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said.
The panga was spotted off the coast just south of the Children’s Pool La Jolla at about 6:45 a.m. Saturday, according to a CBP spokesperson.
The boat was carrying 13 citizens of Mexico, CBP said. They were believed to be attempting to enter the United States illegally.
The United States Coast Guard transported the passengers, 12 men and one woman, to shore and they were taken to San Diego Fire-Rescue (SDFD) Lifeguards headquarters.
CBP took all 13 people into custody.
Jill Murray of La Jolla told NBC 7 she spotted the boat a few hundred feet off the shoreline Saturday morning.
Murray said it looked like the engine wasn't working and the people on board appeared to be paddling with makeshift oars.
