Shocking footage captured the moment a boat full of migrants rushed to a busy California beach as stunned locals looked on.
In a viral video shared with xCrowds gathered on Ocean Beach in San Diego as about a dozen migrants departed a valuable-looking white yacht, without a Coast Guard officer in sight.
The migrants were seen jumping into the water before running towards a residential neighborhood, while beachgoers stopped to film them with their phones.
It comes as illegal immigrant crossings have soared in California in recent months, setting records, while crossings in Texas have plummeted.
Shocking footage captured the moment a boatload of migrants rushed to a busy California beach after landing on an expensive-looking yacht.
The migrants ran off the ship and headed to a residential street.
Onlookers were stunned at the ease with which the migrants were able to flee, without a single Coast Guard officer in sight.
Dozens of beachgoers filmed with their phones and watched as the migrants left.
Viewers of the viral clip in San Diego criticized the ease with which the migrants were able to land on the beach and flee.
The lack of police or Coast Guard officers to stop them led one viewer to comment: “What’s the point of having a Coast Guard if they’re not going to police the coast?”
“I don’t know why they bother running, it’s not like the Biden admin is letting anyone come after them…” said another.
The video appeared online a week after police in Hollywood, Florida, also shared an image of another sailboat used by migrants to avoid the hard border with Mexico.
Hollywood police said that the 30-foot yacht came ashore before the migrants ran toward Coolidge Street, prompting them to launch a search with the Border Patrol to canvass the area.
Boat crossings are increasingly used by migrants and human smugglers as some states beef up their border security amid a record number of crossings during the Biden administration.
It comes a week after police in Hollywood, Florida, also shared an image of another sailboat used by migrants to bypass the hard border with Mexico.
In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott increased patrols and installed razor wire along the Rio Grande, while Mexican authorities have also increased the number of agents south of the border.
Crossings have decreased significantly in Texas in recent months, while California’s statistics have increased.
In San Ysidro, California, about 16 miles south of San Diego, crossings increased by a staggering 85 percent in February compared to a year earlier.
Meanwhile, in Texas, border crossings in Del Rio reached only a few hundred per day, while in December this figure was 2,300 per day, according to Analyzing the market.
In San Diego, where the recent footage was filmed, a boatload of migrants was also caught on camera running from a boat as they headed to the wealthy La Jolla neighborhood.
The footage, filmed in January, showed more than 20 migrants breaking into the beach before disappearing into the Southern California enclave, where homes cost an average price of $2.2 million.
The exclusive footage, filmed by NewsNation’s national correspondent. Jorge VenturaIt came as officials released statistics showing that more than 42,000 immigrants were released in San Diego between October and December 2023.
That number rises to 637 per day, a figure that does not include immigrants crossing illegally, such as those seen landing on La Jolla beach.