At least 1 migrant drowned, 13 pulled from water trying to swim around border fence


One woman drowned while trying to swim around the border fence from Tijuana to San Diego on Friday night, while 13 other Mexican migrants were pulled from the water and 23 others were detained, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement. The drowned woman and 36 detained Mexicans were part of a group of up to 70 trying to cross into the U.S. at Border Fields State Park late Friday, and it isn't clear if the others turned back or are missing.
Mexico and the U.S. are separated at Border Fields State Park by a 12-foot-high metal fence that extends 300 feet into the ocean. Some of the sections are topped by razor wire, and the ocean off the park is treacherous for swimmers. U.S. Border Patrol was alerted to a group attempting to reach the San Diego beach at about 11:30 p.m. on Friday, and when they arrived they found and tried to resuscitate the woman. Medical response teams pronounced her dead early Saturday. The U.S. Coast Guard, which joined state and federal agencies in the search for migrants, pulled the 13 people out of the water.
Officials blamed human smugglers for the death. "This is yet another example of the ruthless tactics smuggling organizations use to bolster their power and profits," San Diego Sector Chief Patrol Agent Aaron Heitke said in a statement. "We will work tirelessly to pursue and bring to justice those responsible for this tragedy."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Border agents have seen more migrants trying to cross into the U.S. by water, often on rickety fishing boats, amid a larger surge of migrants being apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border. A Honduran woman died in the same stretch of ocean in March. Border Patrol reports finding 557 deceased migrants in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, up from 254 in the previous fiscal year. More migrants have died and been recovered by state and local agencies.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Alchemised: how Harry Potter fanfic went mainstream
In The Spotlight Traditional publishers are signing up fan fiction authors to rewrite their ‘explosively popular’ romances for the mass market
-
Crossword: October 6, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
-
Codeword: October 6, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Miami Freedom Tower’s MAGA library squeeze
THE EXPLAINER Plans to place Donald Trump’s presidential library next to an iconic symbol of Florida’s Cuban immigrant community has South Florida divided
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsion
Speed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot