21 migrants aboard boat stopped by Coast Guard near Newport Beach detained by ICE

Newport Beach’s mayor took aim at California’s so-called sanctuary state law after federal officials detained 21 apparent migrants on a boat stopped about a mile west of Newport Beach last Thursday night.

The crew of the Narwhal spotted a 34-foot vessel “acting suspiciously” near Newport Harbor, Coast Guard officials said in a news release. They boarded it at about 7 p.m. and found people allegedly attempting to evade immigration officials and enter the U.S.

Out of the 21 people aboard the intercepted vessel, 18 were residents of Mexico, Coast Guard officials said. Another was from Russia and two were from Uzbekistan. All were placed into the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

“Smugglers consistently put migrants at risk, with disregard for their safety,” said Brandon J. Tucker the director of CBP’s Air and Marine Operations in San Diego. “The ocean is one of the most dangerous routes to attempt illegal entry into the United States.”

On Monday, Mayor Will O’Neill praised federal officials and noted that other small boats stowing migrants have been stopped recently in waters off of Newport Beach. In late October, witnesses told Customs and Border Protection officials 16 people had fled from one vessel that wound up beached on Crystal Cove, according to a news release from the agency. They were all located following a search of the area and detained on suspicion violating U.S. immigration law.

Crystal Cove in Newport Beach. A boat carrying migrants into the U.S. washed ashore in the area in late October.

(Courtesy of the Crystal Cove Conservancy)

The mayor went on to criticize a state law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2017 that limits how much local and state agencies are able to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. SB 54, also known as the California Values Act, prohibits law enforcement in the state from investigating, interrogating, detaining or arresting persons “for immigration enforcement purposes.” The law also discourages state and local officials from telling federal agents the release date of incarcerated people wanted by CBP unless they have been convicted of a crime considered violent or otherwise serious enough to result in a prison sentence.

O’Neill and others who have opposed so-called sanctuary laws like SB 54 argue they harm public safety by allowing people convicted of crimes to be released when they might have otherwise been deported. The mayor referenced a 2020 statement from O.C. Sheriff Don Barnes noting a 38% increase in the amount of people sought by ICE who had been released from Orange County Jail and then arrested again for a later offense.

Supporters of sanctuary laws say police rely on the trust of immigrants in their community. They argue that potentially exposing undocumented people to the risk of deportation for reporting a crime, serving as a witness or providing information that might aid an investigation would ultimately make it harder to bring offenders to justice.

Advocates for undocumented residents in America say the majority of them are contributing members of their communities, and driving them into secrecy makes them more likely to become the victims of crime. A study released in September by the Department of Justice analyzing arrests in Texas between 2012 and 2018 found that undocumented immigrants were less likely than documented immigrants or U.S.-born citizens to get booked for felonies and violent crimes.

The most recent case of migrants detained off the coast of Newport Beach comes amid the expected appointment of immigration hardliners to high-level positions in Donald Trump’s administration. He announced that Tom Homan, the director of ICE during the president-elect’s first term, would become the country’s “border czar.” Stephen Miller, Trump’s former adviser and speechwriter who championed controversial policies like a ban on travelers from six countries populated by a Muslim majority and the separation of undocumented children from their families, was reportedly chosen as his deputy chief of staff for policy. Both apparent appointees have signaled plans to pursue mass deportations.

In his statement, O’Neill said the criticisms of sanctuary laws “may fall on deaf ears in Sacramento, but hopefully our next administration hears our pleas.”