Coast Guard arrests more than 20 migrants on boat off California coast

Newport Beach, Calif., Mayor Will O'Neill lashed out at state lawmakers after the Coast Guard apprehended 21 migrants who were on a boat nearly a mile from shore on Thursday .

FOX 11 in Los Angeles reported that 18 of the arrested migrants were from Mexico, two from Uzbekistan and one from Russia.

“You have no intention of trying to protect Uzbek nationals coming across our southern border,” O'Neill said, addressing California lawmakers. “Pull yourself together, understand this, because we have real problems that affect real people in your cities all over California. You can't continue to treat every city in California like a border town. You can't put us in this We have real problems, and we need you to solve them now.

On Thursday evening, Coast Guard crews apprehended the 21 individuals about a mile from shore in Newport Beach after noticing suspicious activity on the boat they were on.

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The Coast Guard apprehended 21 migrants aboard a fishing boat Thursday, nearly a mile off the coast of Newport Beach, California. (US Coast Guard)

“We encounter boats on a regular basis,” Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Levi Read told the station. “There aren’t always that many people on it, though.”

O'Neill said his concern is that when people enter the United States through the southern border, particularly from Uzbekistan, “something breaks.”

“Every city in California is now essentially a border town thanks to SB 54,” he told FOX 11. “We're told our local authorities are prohibited from working with federal authorities to arrest people like this.”

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A sailboat sails into Newport Harbor on March 2, 2023. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Also known as the “California Values ​​Act,” SB 54 is sometimes referred to as a “sanctuary state” law.

The law was implemented in 2018 and effectively legalized non-cooperation between state law enforcement and federal immigration agents.

FOX 11 reported another incident involving illegal immigrants at Newport Harbor in May. Video of the incident reportedly showed more than 20 suspected migrants walking onto a pier before dispersing into town.

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The station located the fishing boat used in Thursday's incident, believed to be a 34-foot fishing boat with a stack of life jackets inside.

The 21 migrants apprehended Thursday were turned over to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Bradford Betz and Louis Casiano of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.