Mexican National Arrested for Attempt to Smuggle 17 Aliens in Cabin Cruiser

A Mexican man made his initial appearance in federal court Wednesday, September 19, 2012, on charges stemming from his alleged role in an effort to smuggle seven Mexican nationals into the United States from Mexico onboard a cabin cruiser that came ashore near San Clemente the morning of Monday, September 17, 2012. The incident remains under investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Jesus Quinones-Chavez, 57, of Turron, Cohuila, Mexico, is accused of bringing illegal aliens into the United States in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court-Central District of California.

Quinones' arrest occurred after a dispatcher at the California State Parks Service alerted U.S. Border Patrol agents in San Clemente the morning of Monday, September 17, 2012, that a vessel had run aground on the beach in the Cyprus Shore area of San Clemente. Border Patrol agents searched the area and discovered a beached 24-foot Bayliner cabin cruiser and apprehended seven people, including Quinones, who were soaking wet and covered in sand. An eighth individual eluded arrest. One man was later taken to a local hospital.

Investigators assigned to HSI's Los Angeles Border Enforcement Security Task Force responded to the scene and interviewed a local resident who had witnessed the boat come ashore. Additional interviews with the members of the smuggling load revealed they had each paid fees ranging from $7,000 to $12,000 to be smuggled from Puerto Nuevo, Baja California, to Newport Beach in the cabin cruiser, which allegedly was piloted by Quinones.

"Investigators are seeing an increase in the use of pleasure boats to smuggle humans and drugs into the United States," said Claude Arnold, special agent in charge of HSI Los Angeles. "Smugglers use the cabins on these boats to attempt to conceal people and contraband, unlike the open pangas that have traditionally been used in maritime smuggling attempts along the California coast. Law enforcement is alert to this new tactic and we encourage the public to be vigilant and report suspicious pleasure boat activity to authorities."

So far this fiscal year (Oct. 1, 2011, through Sept. 6, 2012), there have been more than 190 occurrences of maritime smuggling in Southern California. Of those, 112 were human smuggling events.

Maritime security efforts off the California coastline are being overseen by the Department of Homeland Security's Central California Maritime Agency Coordination Group. The group is comprised of HSI; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the U.S. Coast Guard; and several state and local law enforcement agencies. The state and local partners include the California Highway Patrol; the California Department of Parks and Recreation; the sheriff's departments of Orange, Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties; and the Los Angeles and Long Beach police departments. The group is also receiving substantial assistance from members of the California National Guard's Counterdrug Program.

Deferred Action Directive F.A.Q.s: Part VII

What documentation will be sufficient to demonstrate that an individual is currently in school, has graduated from high school, or has obtained a general education development certificate (GED)?

Documentation sufficient for an individual to demonstrate that he or she is currently in school, has graduated from high school, or has obtained a GED certificate includes, but is not limited to: diplomas, GED certificates, report cards, and school transcripts.


What documentation will be sufficient to demonstrate that an individual is an honorably discharged veteran of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the United States?

Documentation sufficient for an individual to demonstrate that he or she is an honorably discharged veteran of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the United States includes, but is not limited to: report of separation forms, military personnel records, and military health records.


What steps will USCIS and ICE take to prevent fraud in the new processes?

An individual who knowingly makes a misrepresentation to USCIS or ICE, or knowingly fails to disclose facts to USCIS or ICE, in an effort to receive deferred action or work authorization in this new process will be treated as an immigration enforcement priority to the fullest extent permitted by law, subjecting the individual to criminal prosecution and/or removal from the United States.


Are individuals with a conviction for a felony offense, a significant misdemeanor offense, or multiple misdemeanors eligible for an exercise of prosecutorial discretion under this new process?
No. Individuals who have been convicted of a felony offense, a significant misdemeanor offense, or three or more other misdemeanor offenses not occurring on the same date and not arising out of the same act, omission, or scheme of misconduct are not eligible to be considered for deferred action under the new process.