The Trump administration’s Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced Thursday that it is expanding maritime interdiction efforts in four major U.S. regions. By establishing new Customs Enforcement Areas, CBP now has authority to operate up to 24 nautical miles from shore in designated waters adjacent to South Florida, Southern California, Puerto Rico and the Texas Gulf Coast.
Why the expansion matters
CBP says smugglers have been exploiting the traditional 12‑nautical‑mile limit, transferring illicit cargo and people beyond that boundary and then landing them on remote shorelines. The new designations align CBP’s enforcement authority with the 24‑nautical‑mile U.S. contiguous zone, giving agents “room to act sooner” and stop threats before they reach American communities.
Operations and recent successes
CBP’s Air and Marine Operations will work alongside Coast Guard crews and other federal partners to detect and interdict vessels used by cartels, foreign terrorist organizations and other criminal networks. Recent interdictions include:
- Seizure of illegal foreign nationals off the coast of Puerto Rico, St. Thomas and the U.S. Virgin Islands, involving citizens from the Dominican Republic, India, Ecuador, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Haiti and others.
- Apprehension of nine individuals on a panga‑style vessel 7 miles west of San Diego, and another nine on a separate vessel attempting illegal entry via southern California.
- Rescue and subsequent death of a man aboard a vessel near San Clemente Island after CBP agents provided emergency care.
- Interdiction of 21 illegal foreign nationals 14 miles west of San Clemente Island following a tip from a Good Samaritan.
- Multiple arrests in San Diego Harbor, including five individuals on a 20‑foot cuddy cabin vessel and seven on an 18‑foot Sea Ray vessel near Point Loma.
All apprehended individuals were transferred to U.S. Border Patrol custody.
Executive authority behind the move
The expansion follows two executive orders issued by President Trump—EO 14165 and EO 14411—directing the Department of Homeland Security and its agencies to strengthen border security, including at sea, and to enhance enforcement of customs laws.
Impact on local communities
By extending the enforcement zone, CBP aims to protect coastal neighborhoods from drug trafficking, contraband, and illegal‑immigrant smuggling operations that threaten public safety and family stability. The move also supports ongoing operations such as Operation River Wall on the Rio Grande and Operation Pacific Viper in the Eastern Pacific, which have seized record volumes of narcotics and interdicted numerous smuggling vessels.
Local law‑enforcement partners, including the Coast Guard, will continue to collaborate with CBP to safeguard the nation’s shores and uphold the Constitution’s mandate to secure the borders for American families.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
