Some of those detained had been pulled from the ocean. The Coast Guard, which dispatched two cutters and a search helicopter, took 13 people from the water and handed them over to the Border Patrol, said Adam Stanton, a Coast Guard spokesman.
The section of border fence that extends about 300 feet into the Pacific Ocean is one of the most closely watched parts of the 1,900-mile border. While individuals and small groups of swimmers occasionally make the crossing, mass attempts are rarer.
In the last 12 months, the United States has recorded the most illegal border crossings since record-keeping began in 1960. The surge was driven in part by the widespread economic harm caused by the pandemic. The migrants came from around the world, but more were from Mexico than from any other country.
Crossings at sea, often on small fishing boats or pleasure craft, have also increased as sensors and barriers have become more prevalent on land, and as plummeting tourism has led some boat operators to turn to smuggling.
Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/31/us/migrants-swim-border.html
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