From left, Special Agents John Keeley (from the New York field office) and Ed Ochoa (from the Alameda office) were involved in an interdiction in July. Reservists support migrant interdiction efforts in San Diego Story by Anastasia Devlin, photos courtesy of Special Agent John Keeley, CGIS New York Members of the Coast Guard and the Border Patrol were involved in an interdiction in July in which 31 illegal migrants attempted to enter the waters off San Diego. Throughout most of that month, two reservists at the Coast Guard Investigative Service—Special Agents Ed Ochoa (from the Alameda office) and John Keeley (from the New York field office)—were assigned to Sector San Diego in support of the Re-CoM (Regional Coordinating Mechanism Task Force). The Re-CoM is a joint effort between Coast Guard, Border Patrol, Customs and Border Protection, and the Department of Homeland Security. Ochoa and Keeley were brought on active duty in support of CGIS operations to streamline the processing of human trafficking suspects and victims apprehended by Coast Guard assets during operational boarding and interdictions. On the evening of July 8, Ochoa, Keeley and several Border Patrol agents from the San Clemente Border Patrol Station and the Imperial Beach Border Patrol Station responded to the report of an overloaded recreational vessel nine miles off Point Loma, California. The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Petrel was notified by the Joint Harbor Operations Center of the activity, and they intercepted, boarded, and seized the grossly overloaded vessel, embarking the passengers. Assisted by the Coast Guard Cutter Blackfin due to the large Petty Officer J. Lowell, corresponded with Special Agents Keely and Ochoa, who met them at the docks to process the 22 men and nine women. All passengers, the majority of whom were from Mexico, were confirmed to be entering the U.S. illegally, and were turned over to Border Patrol agents who took the migrants into custody. Agents with Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations seized the recreational boat as evidence. “The Coast Guard is focused on safety of life at sea,” said Capt. Timothy Barelli, commander of Coast Guard Sector San Diego. “Non-U.S. citizens illegally trying to enter the United States via the South Pacific marine boundary line are risking their lives. These vessels are often ill-equipped, under-manned and overloaded; this is a recipe for a dangerous, life-threatening scenario.” The conditions that smugglers put these people through are dangerous, and stopping clandestine landing attempts can help keep those conditions from turning deadly. The agencies in the ReCoM routinely share intelligence; number of migrants, Petrel’s crew brought the seized vessel back to port. En route, Petrel’s officer-in-charge, Senior Chief coordinate assets for coverage, patrols, and response; leverage resources dedicated to securing San Diego waterways; plan operations and more. ReCoM partners, in addition to their standard patrols, perform targeted operations as conditions dictate and resources permit. Recent years have seen an increase in maritime activity. According to a CBP press release, during fiscal year 2018, there were 122 maritime events off the coast of San Diego, with 433 arrests. FY19 saw 195 maritime events with 662 arrests, FY20 had 309 maritime smuggling events with 1,273 arrests, and FY21 had 389 events and 1,968 arrests. As of May (FY22), there were 370 maritime smuggling events and 1,782 apprehensions. Ochoa, an active police officer serving in an investigatory Reserve CGIS agents processed 31 people found aboard a small, recreational boat stopped by a Coast Guard cutter nine miles offshore. capacity with the San Francisco Police Department, and Keely, a senior criminal investigator at the district attorney’s office in New York, are just two of the reserve agents serving in CGIS. Reservists in these billets are a readily accessible pool of seasoned investigators who are all employed in the law enforcement field as investigators in their civilian careers. They bring a wealth of experience, along with specialized training from their agencies � Issue 3 • 2022 � RESERVIST 15
