[From: Daily Pilot] Coast Guard Stops Boat off Newport Beach; 7 Turned Over to Feds

A U.S. Coast Guard boat on patrol off Newport Beach stopped a 20-foot boat taking on water with seven apparent Mexican nationals on board, authorities said Sunday.

The boat was spotted about 9 p.m. Saturday while the Coast Guard vessel was on routine patrol, according to a Coast Guard statement. The crew stopped the boat to board it.

“During the boarding, the crew identified seven suspected aliens aboard and discovered water intrusion in the bilge,” according to the statement. “They secured the flooding source and initiated a tow.”

There were no reported injuries or medical concerns among the five men and two women on the boat, the Coast Guard said. Three were confirmed Mexican nationals and four were suspected to have been Mexican nationals.

The boat and its occupants were turned over to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Coast Guard reported.