AGENT
AGENT MCISAAC. THANK YOU SO MUCH. SO WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THIS TARP OVER HERE AND
KIND OF WHAT WE'RE SEEING? SO
BASICALLY A LITTLE AFTER 5:00
A.M. TODAY OUR AGENTS SPOTTED A
VESSEL THAT WAS NORTHBOUND OFF
THE COAST OF POINT LOMA. WE HAD
AGENTS RESPOND TO THIS AREA AND
ATTEMPT TO INTERDICT THE VESSEL
WHEN OUR AGENTS ARRIVED ON
SCENE THEY DISCOVERED THERE
WERE SEVERAL INDIVIDUALS IN THE
SURF ZONE THAT APPEARED TO BE
DISTRESSED. SO THEY BASICALLY
IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED SAN DIEGO
LIFEGUARDS WHO DID RESPOND. WE
WERE ABLE TO APPREHEND A TOTAL
OF 15 SUBJECTS AND THERE'S ONE
SUBJECT AS WELL THAT'S STILL
CURRENTLY IN CRITICAL CONDITION
.SO I SPOKE WITH THE LIFEGUARD
CHIEF EARLIER AND HE SAID THAT
THE PEOPLE ARE STILL CANVASING
THE AREA TO SEE IF THERE ARE
ANY ADDITIONAL PEOPLE THAT
MIGHT NEED TO BE RESCUED. DO
YOU HAVE ANY IDEA IF THERE ARE
STILL PEOPLE OUT THERE OR DO
YOU THINK YOU HAVE EVERYBODY
ACCOUNTED FOR RIGHT NOW AT THIS
TIME IT'S STILL AN ONGOING
INVESTIGATION. SO I COULDN'T
SPECULATE IF THERE IS ANYONE
STILL OUTSTANDING AT THIS. WHAT
KIND OF CONDITION DID YOU FIND
PEOPLE IN? WELL, AGAIN, THEY
WERE DEFINITELY IN DISTRESS.
YOU KNOW, THE SURF IS PRETTY
ROUGH TODAY AND SOME OF THESE
FOLKS I DON'T I DON'T BELIEVE
KNOW HOW TO SWIM. SO YOU COUPLE
THAT WITH WITH THE LACK
OF LIFEJACKETS. I DID SEE SOME
LIFEJACKETS BUT I DON'T BELIEVE
THERE WAS ENOUGH FOR EVERYONE
ON BOARD AND IT'S KIND OF A
RECIPE FOR DISASTER
UNFORTUNATELY. DID YOU SEE ANY
CHILDREN OR MAYBE SENIOR
CITIZENS ON BOARD? I DON'T
UNFORTUNATELY HAVE THE
DEMOGRAPHICS ON HAND WITH ME.
OK, NO PROBLEM. WE JUST WERE
OUT IN POINT LOMA ON MONDAY FOR
A DIFFERENT OPERATION THAT WAS
REALLY SIMILAR TO THIS. HAVE
YOU SEEN AN UPTICK IN THESE
ATTEMPTED HUMAN SMUGGLING
OPERATIONS? YEAH, SO LAST YEAR
FISCAL YEAR TWENTY WAS A RECORD
YEAR FOR MARITIME APPREHENSIONS
HERE IN SAN DIEGO SECTOR WITH
TWELVE HUNDRED SEVENTY THREE
APPREHENSIONS IN THE MARITIME
ENVIRONMENT THIS FISCAL YEAR
WHICH WON'T END TILL THE END
OF SEPTEMBER AND WE'RE ALREADY
APPROACHING 1100 MARITIME
APPREHENSIONS. SO IT'S
DEFINITELY BEEN AN INCREASE. DO
YOU KNOW WHERE THE VESSEL CAME
FROM? DID IT COME FROM MEXICO
OR DO YOU KNOW WHAT PART DO YOU
KNOW ANYTHING LIKE THAT HOW FAR
THEY TRAVELED IN THIS SPECIFIC
INSTANCE? I DON'T BUT FOR THE
MOST PART THEY'RE LAUNCHING
JUST SOMEWHERE ALONG THE BAJA
CALIFORNIA COAST. YES. THANK
YOU SO MUCH. USUALLY MCISAAC, I
REALLY APPRECIATE IT. SO WE'RE
BACK OUT HERE LIVE IN LA HOYA.
THAT'S THE LATEST INFORMATION.
IT LOOKS LIKE THERE WERE ABOUT
16 PEOPLE ACCOUNTED FOR ONE
PERSON IS CONFIRMED IN CRITICAL
CONDITION. IF ANYONE'S
CONDITIONS OFFICIALLY CHANGE,
WE WILL LET YOU KNOW. WE'RE
GOING TO BRING YOU LIVE UPDATES
OF COURSE AT CBSNEWS.COM AS
SOON AS WE LEARN INFORMATION
IT'LL BE RIGHT THERE NETTA.
ERIC, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS
?I DON'T I DON'T KNOW IF THE
BORDER PATROL AGENT IS STILL
THERE WITH YOU, BUT FROM THE
LOOKS OF THAT BOAT, IF OUR
PHOTOGRAPHER CAN MAYBE PAN OVER
IT LOOKS VERY SMALL. I THINK
FIFTEEN PEOPLE WERE ON THAT
BOAT AND AT LEAST FIFTEEN
BECAUSE AS YOU JUST HEARD SAY,
THEY'RE THEY'RE NOT SURE IF
THERE WERE MORE PEOPLE ON THAT
BOAT THEY'RE TRYING TO
INVESTIGATE THAT RIGHT NOW. YOU
CAN SEE THE WATER FILLING UP
THAT VERY SMALL VESSEL THERE
AND EVEN THIS MORNING, ALISYN,
WHEN I WAS LEAVING FOR WORK
EARLY THIS MORNING, I HEARD THE
LOUD WAVES CRASHING. IT'S
ALWAYS A SIGN OF JUST A HIGH
SURF KIND OF DAY AND YOU CAN
SEE THAT RIGHT THERE. I MEAN
HOW DANGEROUS IF YOU COULD
IMAGINE JUST HOW DANGEROUS THAT
WOULD BE TO GET CLOSE TO THAT
SHORELINE. YOU KNOW, IT'S
TERRIFYING THAT PEOPLE WOULD BE
ON SUCH A SMALL VESSEL. I KNOW
I CAN'T IMAGINE EITHER EARLIER
TONIGHT MY PHOTOGRAPHER WHEN WE
WERE OVER NEAR THE MARINE
STREET AREA WE ACTUALLY SAW TWO
PEOPLE IN TOWELS THAT WERE
BEING TAKEN CARE OF . THOSE
PEOPLE APPEAR TO BE OK BUT IT
SEEMS LIKE AN INCREDIBLY
DIFFICULT OPERATION TO PULL OFF
AND I'M YOU KNOW, IT'S NICE TO
HEAR THAT MOST PEOPLE ARE IN
PRETTY STABLE CONDITION OTHER
THAN JUST MAYBE SOME EMOTIONAL
DISTRESS AND YOU KNOW, ONE
PERSON STILL IN THAT CRITICAL
CONDITION BUT DEFINITELY
INTENSER NOT SOMETHING THAT
PEOPLE ESPECIALLY IF MAYBE THEY
DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO SWIM. I
DON'T KNOW YOU KNOW, SWIMMING
ABILITIES OF EACH OF THE 15 16
PEOPLE ON BOARD. YEAH, INTENSE
INJURY. CHILLY WATERS OUT
THERE. YEAH, THAT'S FOR SURE
TOO. AND YOU SEE THOSE THOSE
INVESTIGATORS DOWN THERE JUST
KEEPING AN EYE ON THE WATERS
BECAUSE AGAIN THEY HAVEN'T BEEN
ABLE TO CONFIRM WITH US IF THEY
DO IN FACT HAVE EVERYONE ON THE
BOAT THAT IS ALL PART OF THIS
INVESTIGATION. VERY ACTIVE
SCENE STILL OUT THERE. A LOT
OF ANSWERS REMAIN HERE AND IT
LOOKS LIKE THOSE ARE SOME
OF THE POSSIBLE ITEMS. WOW.
WE'RE BEING PULLED FROM THE
BOAT THAT THEY'RE KIND
OF GETTING TOGETHER HERE. YOU
HAVE TO THINK THE WEIGHT THAT
WAS ON THAT BOAT OBVIOUSLY NOT
SAFE AND THAT HAPPENS TIME AND
TIME AGAIN IN THESE SUSPECTED
SMUGGLING OPERATIONS. YOU KNOW
THESE PEOPLE'S LIVES ARE BEING
PUT AT RISK AND THE SMUGGLERS
WE HEAR FROM BORDER PATROL
CONSTANTLY THEY DON'T CARE
ABOUT THEIR LIVES. THEY JUST
WANT THE MONEY. YEAH, AND THIS
IS HAPPENING RIGHT HERE ON OUR
COASTLINE SO I'M WILLING TO PAY
FIFTEEN EIGHTEEN THOUSAND
DOLLARS TO GET ON THOSE BOATS.