The U.S. Coast Guard was forced to fire upon a Chinese smuggling vessel carrying 25 illegal aliens just one mile south of Key Biscayne, Florida, disabling the boat after it refused to comply with the Coast Guard's orders. After disabling its motor, officials took every last person aboard into custody.
That's the kind of border protection 77 million Americans voted for.
The interception happened on June 10 when Coast Guard Station Miami Beach spotted the vessel and engaged. After disabling the boat with gunfire to the engines — and with zero injuries reported — the 25 Chinese nationals aboard were taken into custody. The boat was seized and towed back to Station Miami Beach, where the passengers were transferred to the Coast Guard Cutter Margaret Norvell for processing.
If you think firing at a boat to stop it sounds dangerous and cruel, know this...
ICE Homeland Security Investigations has launched a criminal investigation into the smuggling operation, because this wasn't just a joy ride gone wrong. This was an organized attempt to sneak two dozen foreign nationals onto American soil by sea.
DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis didn't mince words about the message this sends. "This sends a clear message to illegal aliens attempting to enter the United States: don't even think about it," Bis said. "By land or sea, our borders are CLOSED."
Now here's the part that should keep you up at night. This wasn't some isolated incident. The Chinese illegal immigration pipeline into the United States has been exploding for years. We're talking an estimated 2,000 to 24,000 illegal Chinese entries in fiscal year 2022, ballooning to 24,000 to 52,000 in fiscal year 2023. By FY 2024, border authorities encountered 38,000 Chinese nationals at the southwest border alone. And the current estimate? Roughly 400,000 Chinese nationals already living in the country illegally.
Four hundred thousand. Let that sink in while you remember that China is not exactly our best friend on the world stage.
The previous administration's approach to this was essentially leaving the front door open and hoping nobody with bad intentions walked through. Spoiler: people with bad intentions walked through. By the tens of thousands.
What happened off Key Biscayne is what enforcement actually looks like. You spot a smuggling boat, you tell it to stop, and when it doesn't comply, you put rounds into the engines until it does. Then you arrest everyone on board and launch a criminal investigation into the people who organized the trip.
It's not complicated. It just requires a government that actually wants to enforce its own laws.
The Coast Guard didn't convene a panel. They didn't consult with the UN. They didn't worry about how CNN would frame the footage. They did their job. And 25 people who were about to enter this country illegally are now in custody instead of disappearing into the American interior.
More of this. Every single day.