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

Human smuggling boat with 21 migrants on board

The Coast Guard apprehended 21 migrants on a boat off Newport Beach Thursday.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - A Southern California mayor is slamming the sanctuary state policy after 21 migrants arrived on a panga boat near Newport Beach last week.

In a statement posted on social media, Newport Beach Mayor Will O'Neill expressed frustration with the state law that limits the city from using resources for federal immigration enforcement.

The boat with 21 migrants attempting to enter the U.S. illegally was stopped by the U.S. Coast Guard on Thursday one mile west of Newport Beach. Officials said 18 of the migrants were Mexican nationals, two were Uzbekistan nationals, and one was a Russian national.

"Clearly folks traveling from Uzbekistan through Mexico to enter our country illegally on a boat off the Orange County coast is – or at least should be – out of the ordinary," O'Neill said.

SB 54 was signed into law by then-Gov. Jerry Brown in 2017 and went into effect the following year. Under the legislation, 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.

Newport Beach City Council unanimously opposed the legislation in 2017.

"I wrote about SB54 in April of this year when a boat heavy-laden with people tied off on a Newport Harbor dock and people ran off into a waiting vehicle. SB54 severely limits how much local law enforcement can cooperate with federal authorities to enforce immigration law, he added.

"Get your act together. You cannot continue to treat every city in California like a border city. There is no way that you intend on trying to protect Uzbeki nationals coming in from our southern border," he said.

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 was 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.

Last year, video obtained by FOX News of a panga boat full of suspected illegal immigrants landing on a beach in Malibu went viral.

The Source: This story was reported with information from the U.S. Coast Guard and Newport Beach Mayor Will O'Neill's social media posts.