Smuggling boats wreck near San Diego, killing eight

A Spanish-speaking woman called 911 Saturday night to report that a boat carrying eight to 15 people had capsized off Black’s Beach near San Diego. The woman said her boat had made it to shore. She was not at the beach when responders arrived, but they found two capsized boats and recovered the bodies of eight adults.

What were the boats doing there? Authorities said they belonged to smugglers. The dead could have been migrants trying to enter the United States or victims of human trafficking. San Diego Sector Coast Guard Capt. James Spitler said human trafficking in the southern California coastal area has increased by 771 percent since 2017.

Dig deeper: Read Addie Offereins’ report in Compassion about how the Biden administration is seeking to ease the strain on the U.S. asylum system.