CARLSBAD - Nearly two dozen illegal immigrants were arrested on a North County beach early Friday, shortly after arriving in the area by boat.
About 2:30 a.m., U.S. Border Patrol personnel spotted a skiff approaching the coastline in Carlsbad and watched as a group of people got off it and went ashore, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection public affairs.
More USBP agents went to the beach along with sheriff's deputies, searched the area and found 15 men, five women and a 16-year-old boy who appeared to have just emerged from the ocean.
The federal officers questioned the detainees and determined that all 21 were Mexican nationals in the country illegally, officials said.
The boat the group arrived in was not located.
