Coast Guard apprehends more than 20 migrants on boat off Newport Beach coast
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - The Mayor of Newport Beach is expressing frustration with California lawmakers, after federal authorities located 21 migrants on a boat near Newport Thursday evening.
Eighteen of the migrants were Mexican nationals, two from Uzbekistan, and one Russian national.
"There’s no way you intend on trying to protect Uzbeki nationals coming in from our southern border," said Newport Beach Mayor Will O’Neill, directing a message to California lawmakers. "Get your act together, figure this out, because we’re having real problems affecting real people, in your cities all across California. You cannot continue to treat every city in California like a border city. You cannot put us in this position. We have real problems, and we need you to fix them now."
The United States Coast Guard apprehended the 21 individuals Thursday evening about a mile off the coast of Newport Beach. Officials said they noticed their boat acting suspicious.
"We come across boats on a regular basis," said U.S. Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Levi Read. "Not all the time do they have that many people on it though."
"When you have people from Uzbekistan, of all places, coming in through the southern border, something is broken," said O’Neill. "Every city in California now is essentially a border city thanks to SB 54. We’re told our local authorities are prohibited from working with federal authorities from stopping people like this."
In May, FOX 11 reported on another incident in Newport Habor also involving migrants. In that case, cellphone video showed more than 20 suspected migrants walking onto a pier and scattering into town.
Using sources, FOX 11 located the vessel from Thursday’s incident. It’s a 34-foot fishing boat with noticeable wear and tear. In addition, a stack of life jackets can be seen inside.
One resident calls the recent cases "scary" and believes something needs to be done.
"I don’t care where they’re coming from, they’re illegal," said Dianne, a resident. "I think it’s very bad to have illegal immigration, because we’re already paying a lot of tax."
The 21 migrants from Thursday’s apprehension were handed over to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. FOX 11 asked about their current status, but has not received a response.