The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Wednesday that on June 10, a crew with Coast Guard Station Miami Beach approached a vessel that failed to comply with orders to stop. It was about a mile south of Key Biscayne, Fla.
The Coast Guard fired warning shots, and the vessel did not heed the warning, so the Coast Guard fired shots to disable the engine. No one was injured on either side. The Coast Guard seized the vessel and towed it to the station, where U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Air and Marine Operations (AMO) personnel stepped in to assist with the interdiction.
So, what was on board? Only 25 Chinese nationals who were, apparently, attempting to enter the United States illegally. The reason why they were trying to get into the United States — because you never know with the Chinese — is under investigation.
By land or sea, our borders are CLOSED.
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) June 17, 2026
Last week, a @USCG crew out of Station Miami Beach encountered and disabled a vessel carrying 25 Chinese nationals attempting to enter our nation illegally. @CBP and @CBPAMO assisted following the interdiction, and @HSI_HQ initiated a… pic.twitter.com/KuN14qM0fn
"Last week, a Coast Guard crew out of Station Miami Beach encountered a vessel with 25 Chinese aliens attempting to illegally enter the United States," said Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. "This sends a clear message to illegal aliens attempting to enter the United States: don’t even think about it. By land or sea, our borders are CLOSED."
It's not clear where these people started their journey, but the Chinese testing maritime routes into South Florida, often via the Bahamas or similar staging points, is becoming an increasing pattern, especially as land border crossings into the U.S. have dwindled to practically nonexistent. The Bahamas is a particularly popular spot because it doesn't require citizens of many countries, including China, to have a visa to enter.
Previously, many Chinese nationals attempting to enter the U.S. illegally would start in South America and cross the dangerous Darien Gap — the 60-plus-mile, mostly lawless stretch of rainforest, swamp, and mountains between Panama and Colombia. Many of those relied on smuggling operations, much like what this current situation will most likely turn out to be.
But thanks to Donald Trump, along with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino's efforts to close his own border with Colombia, Darien Gap crossings have fallen drastically over the last year. This is why I can't emphasize enough how important it is for us to have partners in the region who share our goals. Mulino has been a great ally to Trump and the United States, and he's a member of the Shield of the Americas.
Something else worth noting is that under Joe Biden, there was a bit of an explosion in the number of Chinese nationals attempting to get into the United States illegally. The number went from 450 in 2021 to 2,176 in 2022 to over 24,000 in 2023. By mid-2024, the first half of the year had already surpassed 2023's numbers. Under Biden, the Chinese became the largest non-Latin American demographic attempting to sneak over our borders.
Of course, those numbers fell significantly in 2025, but this Wednesday announcement just proves that these sophisticated smuggling networks and the incentive to come to the United States haven't changed much. Thank goodness we have an administration that is actually enforcing border security. Let's hope we keep it up.
Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump and his administration’s bold leadership, we are respected on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.
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