The US Coast Guard intercepted a 25-foot sailboat carrying 16 Mexican nationals off the coast of California on Saturday and handed them over to border patrol, the agency said.The overcrowded boat was first spotted by a Coast Guard lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft about 54 miles off the coast of Point Loma near San Diego. A cutter was dispatched and the vessel, Petrel, stopped the sailboat and took the migrants into custody, according to a Coast Guard press release issued Sunday.All of those on board said they were from Mexico.The Coast Guard has increased efforts to intercept migrant vessels following US President Donald Trump’s promise to deport illegal immigrants in the US.This latest interception comes after similar incidents in recent months. Earlier this month, a “panga-style” boat carrying Russian nationals and migrants from the Dominican Republic was stopped about three miles off the coast of Puerto Rico.In February, a 30-foot sailboat packed with 132 Haitian migrants, including women and children, was intercepted about 50 miles off the Florida coast.One of the largest recent interceptions happened last year, when over 300 Haitian migrants were stopped near the Bahamas and sent back home.
