California coastal enclave near sanctuary city tries to 'Newsom-proof' itself

The mayor of an affluent California coastal community criticized Democratic state lawmakers and expressed frustration over sanctuary state policies he alleges have allowed illegal immigration to flow uninterrupted after 21 migrants were recently taken into custody off the shores near his city.

Eighteen of the migrants who were detained a mile off the waters of Newport Beach earlier this month by the U.S. Coast Guard were from Mexico, while two were from Uzbekistan and one was from Russia. They were handed over to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Newport Beach Mayor Will O'Neill blamed California's Democratic-controlled legislature for passing sanctuary state laws aimed at shielding illegal immigrants from deportation while overlooking the potential, unintended financial and public safety implications.

PREVIOUS: Newport Beach mayor rips California's sanctuary state policy after 21 migrants detained on boat

"The policy in (the state capital) Sacramento is so extreme, that they are actually protecting people who are known criminals who are in the country illegally," O'Neill told Fox News Digital, adding that the law has incentivized illegal immigration. 

Also known as the "California Values Act," SB 54 is sometimes referred to as a "sanctuary state" law, which prohibits state law enforcement agencies from cooperating with federal immigration authorities.

The legislation was signed into law in 2017 by then-Gov. Jerry Brown. It mandates that no state and local resources are used to assist federal immigration enforcement. It also limits immigration enforcement actions at public schools, hospitals, churches, health facilities, courthouses and libraries.

At the time of the bill's passage, Newport Beach lawmakers opposed it.  

O'Neill noted that some migrants have, in recent years, circumvented the southern border altogether in California in favor of using boats to enter the country illegally. Once ashore, many will run off into waiting vehicles and disappear into the state, he said.

In May, FOX 11 reported 20 suspected illegal immigrants walking onto a pier in Newport Harbor before scattering into town. O'Neill noted that if the boat with the 21 migrants had made its way into the harbor and was stopped by the Orange County Sheriff's Department, which patrols the area, local law enforcement would have been powerless to do anything. 

The border was a major issue during the 2024 presidential election that President-elect Trump frequently used to criticize the Biden administration and Vice President Kamala Harris.

California's Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom has vowed to fight the incoming Trump administration in an effort to protect progressive policies on climate change, reproductive rights and immigration. Trump has promised to carry out mass deportation operations once he returns to the White House, initially focusing on those living in the country illegally who are deemed a danger to the public.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Newsom's office said most migrants prefer settling in Texas and Florida over other states, which proves that "anti-immigrant state-level policies do not deter migration."

"They simply harm our economy and long-standing immigrant families, including those with U.S. citizens who’ve been contributing to our communities for decades," the governor's office said. "We had a bipartisan border security bill deal that would have bolstered border security resources, but Republicans killed it under orders from Trump. The Mayor's complaints should be directed their way."

The failed border bill, which was opposed by Republicans and Trump, would have expanded alternatives to detention for those who enter the country illegally, made work permits available for those who pass initial asylum screenings and would have established a threshold of an average of 5,000 border crossings a day for one week before ushering in a Department of Homeland Security emergency authority that would bar illegal immigrants from entering the country between ports of entry, Fox News Digital previously reported.

Many in the GOP said the measure would have exacerbated the border crisis and was essentially dead on arrival. 

Despite its intention, SB 54 contains exemptions that allow local law enforcement to coordinate with ICE to take illegal immigrants into custody once released from jail, including those convicted of felony offenses once they have served their sentences in state prisons. 

Newsom has vetoed bills that attempted to eliminate that exemption, his office said.

O'Neill said California, in particular Orange County, has seen a downturn in the quality of life, in addition to rising crime and homelessness, during Newsom's tenure.

"Gavin Newsom is trying to Trump-proof California. We here in Orange County are trying to Newsom-proof Orange County," he said. "We know how unsafe our communities have been under his leadership."

Newsom's family recently acquired a multimillion-dollar home in affluent Marin County in the Bay Area, the mayor noted. The family will split their time between Sacramento and Marin counties, Newsom's office previously told FOX Business.

"They've got altitude sickness," O'Neill said of Democratic state lawmakers. "They are in their ivory towers up in Sacramento."

He noted that as mayor of San Francisco, Newsom appointed then-Police Chief George Gascon as the district attorney. Gascon was voted out as Los Angeles County's top prosecutor earlier this month after only one term amid heavy criticism over his progressive directives that critics said made the region unsafe and enabled criminals. 

State Assemblyman Bill Essayli, a Republican, said state Democrats talk about resisting Trump and Republicans but rarely respect differing opinions.

"They don't tolerate any dissent to any of their policies at all," Essayli told Fox News Digital, citing lawsuits from the state against Huntington Beach, an Orange County enclave, over voter identification requirements and its refusal to follow state housing regulations.

"It's frankly hypocritical that Newsom wants to say: ‘As a state, we want to exempt ourselves from Trump’s policies,' but Newsom would never tolerate the same from local jurisdictions exempting themselves from his policies."

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Democratic Party of California and immigrant groups. The Democratic Party of Orange County declined to comment. 

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