‘What the heck are people from Uzbekistan and from Russia doing trying to come across the border through Orange County?

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Newport Beach Mayor Will O’Neill is criticizing California’s sanctuary state law after a boat with 21 migrants was intercepted by U.S. military off the city’s coastline, saying more mayors need to become vocal with concerns.

The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Narwhal, which is homeported in the Newport Harbor, noticed around 7 p.m. On Nov. 14 a 34-foot vessel just a mile offshore acting “suspiciously” and sent out a patrol boat to investigate, authorities said. Coast Guard personnel found 21 people aboard, including 18 people from Mexico, one Russian citizen, and two people from Uzbekistan, and they were taken into custody and transferred to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The boat was one of three with migrants intercepted by federal officials that week off Newport Beach, said 1st Petty Officer Loumania Stewart, a spokesperson for the Coast Guard’s Los Angeles sector.

From October 2023 to September 2024, there were 561 boats stopped off Southern California, between the border and northern Ventura County, and 273 people were arrested, according to the Coast Guard. Those numbers include reports from partner agencies.

The response depends on which agency pulls up to a boat, and that makes a big difference, O’Neill said.

With the passage of the California Values ​​Act (SB 54), also referred to by some as a sanctuary state law, local and state law enforcement officials are prohibited from investigating, interrogating, detaining or arresting people for immigration enforcement purposes.

“This case is catching people’s attention for two reasons,” O’Neill said. “First, what the heck are people from Uzbekistan and from Russia doing trying to come across the border through Orange County? “It highlights how incredibly difficult it is for coastal communities to deal with the sanctuary state law that got passed in 2018.”

Coast Guard data suggests an increase in vessels trying to make landings off Southern California. In fiscal year 2023, 737 boats were stopped, and 1,385 people were arrested. The previous year, there were 669 boats stopped, with 2,561 people arrested.

Comparatively, in the four years from 2012 to 2016, the same agencies reported 658 boats, carrying 3,247 migrants, were stopped.

Most often, the boats are “pangas,” simple, rugged and nimble vessels designed decades ago for fishermen, but in recent years they have become popular among smugglers at sea. But other crafts, such as pleasure crafts and actual fishing vessels, are used.

O’Neill said he expects there to be greater pushback from local leaders and the public, especially in the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s pledge to take a firmer approach on immigration.

“President Trump has been campaigning on this issue and has certainly indicated that he is going to treat immigration differently than the Biden Administration,” O’Neill said. “But, what should give a lot of communities pause, and certainly a lot of mayors pause, is the idea that Gov. Newsom and other places like the city of Los Angeles are talking about Trump-proofing California. As far as I can tell, that means they’re going to do everything they can to stop him. They can’t have so much animus toward President Trump that it allows them to make bad policy.

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