SAN DIEGO () — With a decrease in illegal land crossings at the southern border, the Trump administration has redirected some of its attention to maritime borders, where the U.S. Coast Guard is dealing with ongoing smuggling activities.

According to officials on Monday, Coast Guard teams operating near San Diego are capturing smugglers who are using increasingly organized methods to smuggle people and illegal goods into the United States via the sea.

In dealing with suspected smuggling vessels, Coast Guard personnel follow a three-step protocol: issuing verbal warnings, firing warning shots, and, if necessary, employing pepper balls to disable engines.

Chief Peter Nelson, officer in charge for Coast Guard Station San Diego, described escalating confrontations with smugglers.

“The majority of the time, they do comply with what we need them to do,” Nelson told . “But there have been some incidents where they have taken evasive actions with their vessel, where they’ve driven their vessel into the side of our boat. They have thrown objects at us. They’ve thrown tools at us.”

Authorities have intercepted individuals with criminal backgrounds, including at least one known gang member with previous felony drug charges.

To address the persistent maritime smuggling, officials have deployed additional resources, including Coast Guard crews from Hawaii, a helicopter unit from San Francisco and a Navy destroyer.