29 Illegal Aliens Arrested on Panga Boat Near Channel Islands

LOS ANGELES – Twenty-nine illegal aliens from Mexico arrested over the weekend on a panga boat approximately 10 miles south of the Channel Islands archipelago have been charged in two federal criminal complaints with immigration crimes, the Justice Department announced today.

Five of the defendants are charged with being an illegal alien entering the United States following deportation or removal, which carries a possible sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison. The remaining 24 defendants are charged with improper entry by an alien, which carries a possible sentence of up to two years in federal prison.

The defendants are expected to make their initial appearances Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon in United States District Court in Los Angeles.

According to an affidavit filed with the complaints, on April 18, federal law enforcement stopped a panga boat approximately 10 miles south of San Nicolas Island, which is controlled by the Navy. The boat contained 29 people, all of whom are Mexican nationals and none had proper documentation to be in the United States legally. 

Law enforcement towed the boat to Newport Beach and the defendants were processed at the San Clemente Border Patrol Station.

Ismael Angeles-Guerrero, 21, is one of the five defendants charged with being an illegal alien entering the United States following deportation or removal. His criminal history includes a prior arrest in Marion County, Indiana, in December 2025 for operating a vehicle while intoxicated, resisting law enforcement, operating a motor vehicle without ever receiving a license, and possession of marijuana. He was removed to Mexico on February 20, 2026.

Faustino Arguello, 38, is one of the 24 defendants charged with improper entry by an alien. In September 2016, Arguello was encountered by Border Patrol twice near the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona and once near the international border in Texas. Each time he was processed for removal to Mexico. In March 2026, federal law enforcement arrested Arguello at San Ysidro Port of Entry for presenting an entry document that did not belong to him. He was not convicted and subsequently was removed from the United States.

A complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence.  All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Customs and Border Protection are investigating this matter with assistance from the United States Coast Guard. 

Assistant United States Attorney Monika L. Hara of the General Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.