At Least 3 Missing After Smugglers Dumped Migrants In Ocean Near San Diego
DEL MAR (CBSLA) — At least three people were missing Friday night after smugglers dumped a boat-load of migrants into the ocean near San Diego.
The San Diego Sheriff's Department received a call at about 4 a.m. about people in the water near Del Mar.
Deputies said the smugglers pulled a tactic called "dump and run" where they don't take the boat to shore, but instead force the passengers to swim.
Emergency crews rescued 13 people, but were still searching for at least three others.
"Fire and lifeguard assets responded to the cliff top and also down the beach and entered the water and rescued three people from the water," Dep. Chief Robert Ford, of the Solana Beach Fire Department, said. "Other people had already made it to shore."
The migrants were traveling in a type of fishing boat often used to bring people into the country illegally.
Deputies said they have seen three of these boats in the same area in the past couple of months.