A U.S. citizen will be charged with human smuggling in connection with a group of illegal immigrants who came ashore in La Jolla yesterday. San Diego Police found five wet and sandy undocumented immigrants inside the van the man was driving. KPBS reporter Amy Isackson has details.
A San Diego Police spokesman says a homeless man flagged down police around 2 a.m. after he saw a group of people come out of the ocean near the Children's Pool in La Jolla. They hopped into a van.
Police eventually pulled the vehicle over in downtown San Diego.
Border Patrol spokesman James Jaques says the driver is someone his agents have seen before.
Jaques : I can't give you a detailed description of his history. But he does have an immigration and criminal history with us.
Jaques says at least twice the driver claimed he needed to go to the hospital after he was arrested.
The five undocumented immigrants are being held as material witnesses.
Customs and Border Protection officials say marine smuggling cases have been on the rise during the last six months.
The agency is trying to hire more agents to beef up its marine staff.
Amy Isackson, KPBS News.