Trump administration focuses on securing the coast after controlling land border

President Donald Trump's administration is focusing on securing the sea after getting the immigration crisis at the land border under control. The San Diego Coast Guard faces a new challenge as it tries to intercept illegal immigrants entering the country by water.

San Diego authorities are conducting training drills to intercept immigrants crossing into the United States from Mexico across the Pacific Ocean.

According to a report by The Telegraph, President Trump is acting quickly on fears that the situation on the coast will generate an immigration wave like the one in some countries in Europe.

Although Coast Guard data show that the number of small boat crossings into the United States is similar to the number in the months leading up to Trump's inauguration as president, interceptions have increased by 75% as he is tripling his resources off the coast of San Diego.

Authorities explained that many of those crossings are funded by organized crime. Specifically, they point to Mexican cartels.

"We knew what would happen as we secured the southern border, the land border," Tom Homan, Trump's border czar, said last month.

"Some of these groups are going to take to maritime, they’re going to take to the water… we’ve got the coastguard, we’ve got CBP maritime patrol, and we’re going to have the navy out there looking at the maritime," he added.

'Donald Trump has done a phenomenal job of securing the American-Mexican border'

Data from the Coast Guard operating in San Diego, which is a hotspot for crossing attempts, show that agents were called to 109 suspected human smuggling incidents between January and March, or more than once a day.

There is no detail on the number of people this represents. However, with boats carrying up to 25 passengers, it is estimated that it could represent thousands of people.

Local authorities explained that it used to be rare to see these boats with illegal immigrants. But since Trump came to power and focused on tackling the immigration crisis, they have become increasingly common.

"But since the election, Donald Trump has done a phenomenal job of securing the American-Mexican border through Texas, Arizona and California, and because the border is tight, illegal immigrants have taken to hopping on boats. We’ve had quite a few of them in the last few months coming in", said Steve Knoblock, mayor of San Clemente, Calif., which is about 60 miles from the border.

Similarly, it was learned that there is discomfort among local authorities that their law enforcement is unable to assist immigration authorities after Gavin Newsom declared California a "sanctuary state."