Maritime illegal immigration rises under Biden, endangers law enforcement

The rise in illegal immigration that took place by boats under the Biden administration has created unique dangers for law enforcement, according to a border security expert.

Maritime illegal immigration, using boats to enter the U.S. illegally, rose during the Biden administration as a result of the political and economic crises of Haiti and Cuba, according to the Migration Policy Institute. In February 2023, the U.S. Naval Institute said that illegal immigrant interdiction operations were in a “state of emergency” due to societal turmoil in Caribbean countries.

Along the border between the U.S. and Mexico in California, illegal immigrants attempt to cross into America using boats as well. 

On July 12, the U.S. Coast Guard interdicted three people who were trying to enter the U.S. illegally by boat and were apprehended at Imperial Beach in San Diego County, California. Two individuals said they were Mexican, while one said they were Turkish.

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In January, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted a boat carrying 21 illegal immigrants that was headed toward San Diego.

Coast Guard officials and Border Protection officials apprehended the illegal immigrants, who were from various countries.

“They don’t want anyone to drown and die trying to cross into the U.S. Illegally…”

— Simon Hankinson, senior research fellow in the Border Security and Immigration Center at The Heritage Foundation

“Initial interviews revealed that all individuals claimed Mexican nationality, although subsequent checks identified two passengers as Guatemalan and Salvadoran nationals,” the Coast Guard wrote in a press release.

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California isn’t close to the only state having to handle migrant incursions along its shores. 

In February, the Coast Guard intercepted 132 Haitians on a boat south of the Florida Keys. The Coast Guard boarded the 30-foot vessel and processed the illegal immigrants before they were repatriated to Haiti, according to officials.

“The Coast Guard will continue to prioritize strengthening our domestic integrity and disrupting attempts to enter the United States illegally by sea,” said Coast Guard District Seven enforcement officer Lt. Zane Carter. “We are steadfast in our mission to safeguard America by securing our maritime borders.“

Simon Hankinson, senior research fellow in the Border Security and Immigration Center at The Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital that these interdictions create a unique danger for law enforcement authorities.

“Well, I’ve seen a very different pattern, say, between the U.K. and France versus off the U.S. coast, where it seems to be a variety of, you know, if it’s professional smugglers with really fast boats trying to bring people in and drop them off, then that’s one thing for the Coast Guard to cope with,” Hankinson said. “And if it is people organizing themselves in leaky boats with insufficient engines and overcrowded conditions, then it’s a different thing. I think for the Coast Guard, for our law enforcement, that the issue of safety is obviously paramount.”

“They don’t want anyone to drown and die trying to cross into the U.S. Illegally, even if they’re not supposed to do it, but they’re also probably worried about people carrying weapons who are trying to smuggle drugs and people in for money,” he added.

Hankinson said the U.S. should look at what’s happening in the United Kingdom as a case study on what to avoid. The U.K. saw 19,982 cross the English Channel to enter the country in the first six months of 2025, according to Sky News. That figure is up almost 50% compared to the first six months of 2024.

“You know, I was born in England. It’s tragic what’s happening there,” he said. “You have a whole family of Palestinians who were allowed to stay, even though they’d applied under a program for Ukrainians. You know it’s a sort of national suicide by generosity.”