Coast Guard stops panga with 11 Mexican migrants near San Diego

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- The U.S. Coast Guard says it intercepted a small boat carrying 11 suspected undocumented migrants about 13 miles northwest of Mission Bay on Thursday.

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According to a Coast Guard press release, the interdiction took place around 8 a.m. when a boarding team from the Coast Guard Cutter Forrest Rednour stopped an 18-foot panga-style vessel in the waters off San Diego.

Officials said all 11 people aboard claimed Mexican nationality. The Coast Guard transported the group and their vessel to another Department of Homeland Security agency at Ballast Point for further processing.

Authorities did not release additional details about the individuals or whether any arrests were made in connection with human smuggling.

The Coast Guard frequently patrols the waters off Southern California to deter and respond to maritime smuggling attempts, which officials say remain a persistent threat along the U.S.-Mexico maritime border.