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Suspected migrants dock boat in Newport Beach
Exclusive surveillance video captured a panga boat docking in Newport Beach, where at least a dozen suspected migrants fled into the neighborhood after damaging a nearby yacht. Local residents and officials expressed mixed reactions to the incident, while the abandoned vessel is now believed to be in Coast Guard possession.
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - A panga packed with at least a dozen suspected migrants docked in Newport Beach this weekend, with exclusive surveillance video appearing to show the group getting off the boat and scattering into the neighborhood.
The grainy video, recorded Saturday afternoon near Cypress Street, is now being reviewed by law enforcement sources.
The people appear to get off the panga one by one before walking away from the waterfront.
The captain-less boat was left behind after apparently scratching and denting a nearby yacht.
"It’s an unsafe thing, right?" Newport Beach City Council member Erik Weigand said. "A bunch of guys coming off a boat, they’re slamming into the neighborhood here and trying to get away as fast as possible."
One resident called it "pretty crazy" to see the panga arrive in Newport Harbor near the Balboa area.
But reactions were mixed.
"I have family that are immigrants as well," fisherman Abram Reyes said. "They’re just trying to get away, not go back where they come from."
Diane Elder, a Newport Beach resident, said she supports immigrants but believes people should enter the country legally.
"I love immigrants. I’m a granddaughter of an immigrant," Elder said. "But come here the right way. We have a right to know who’s here."
Panga now believed to be in Coast Guard possession
FOX 11 found what is believed to be the panga involved in the latest incident.
The boat appears to now be in Coast Guard possession and is estimated to be about 20 feet long.
The latest incident comes as the Coast Guard continues to report migrant interdictions off Southern California.
Two years ago, cellphone video captured more than 20 suspected migrants walking off a panga in Newport Harbor before getting into vans.
Months later, the Coast Guard intercepted that vessel with 21 migrants aboard, including two people from Uzbekistan and one from Russia.
Earlier this month, the Coast Guard rescued 37 suspected migrants nearly 100 miles offshore after their boat drifted for two days without food, water or fuel.
Days later, the Coast Guard said 24 suspected migrants were interdicted south of Santa Barbara Island and eventually transferred to Newport Harbor.
Weigand said the city will work with federal authorities as the latest investigation continues.
"In Newport Beach, we are locked in here," Weigand said. "This is a very law-and-order-friendly community."
"We have some great federal partners right now that we’re working on, trying to work with our local police department in making sure we apprehend these guys," he said.
In previous cases in Newport Harbor, law enforcement asked nearby residents for surveillance video and was able to track down some of the suspected migrants.
FOX 11 has reached out to federal authorities for more information about the latest incident and is awaiting a response.