SAN DIEGO, July 18 (UPI) -- More Mexican drug smugglers and illegal immigrants are slipping into the United States by boat north of San Diego, customs authorities say.
The increase has been caused by new fencing and technology that tightened the land border with Mexico, Coast Guard Cmdr. Guy Pearce said.
"It's like spillover from a dam," Pearce said, adding the shift shows the resolve of smugglers and the desperation of migrants willing to crossing open ocean, often in small rickety boats.
More than 300 illegal immigrants have been arrested on boats or California beaches in the last two years -- a doubling in the number of illegal immigrants -- while a sevenfold increase in maritime drug seizures have been reported, U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials told The New York Times in a story published Saturday.
This is somewhat of an alarming trend," customs official Michael Carney said. "It has opened our eyes. There is still a lot we need to learn about how these organizations operate."
