Federal immigration officials could soon be monitoring San Clemente’s coastline through cameras set up on a nearby hilltop in an effort to intercept immigrants coming ashore in panga boats.
It comes as some Orange County cities have rolled out immigrant aid programs, while community organizations have noted a recent uptick in immigration raids.
[Read: Are Large ICE Raids Coming Back to Orange County?]
On Tuesday, San Clemente City Council members voted unanimously to direct staff to come back with a specific lease that could see Customs and Border Patrol install cameras at the city’s reservoir near the roads of Avenida Salvador and Calle Ameno.
The proposal drew a host of privacy concerns from residents and some council members.
Councilman Mark Enmeier said he’s concerned “a federal agency above them (Customs and Border Patrol) comes in and uses it for other reasons.”
He said he wants explicit privacy protections.
“I would like to see that in the lease agreement,” Enmeier said.
While not finalized, the 20-year lease presented Tuesday – which staff essentially classified as template – would be for $120 a year, including two five-year extensions.
Federal officials could install coastal maritime equipment at the site overlooking San Clemente’s coast, which is expected to cost the Department of Homeland Security more than $1 million, according to a staff report.
Under Tuesday’s first version of the lease, the city is expected to foot the electrical bills of the equipment.
If council members do approve a lease down the road, City Manager Andy Hall said Customs and Border Patrol officers are expected to monitor the video feed from a regional headquarters in Long Beach.
Councilman Rick Loeffler said the lease doesn’t exactly spell out what federal officials could do on city property – including constructing a building.
City officials indicated that Tuesday’s proposed lease was basically a template.
“You’re asking us to vote on a lease that hasn’t been written yet?” Loeffler said. “I have concerns on this lease because I think it leaves too many openings.”
The idea was first floated at the city council’s Feb. 4 meeting, when officials considered joining a lawsuit against California’s sanctuary law – a proposal city council members ultimately shied away from.
[Read: San Clemente Backs Off Joining Lawsuit Against State Sanctuary Law]
“The reason why I thought it was important to discuss this is because we’ve seen an increase in pangas coming up on the shore,” Mayor Steve Knoblock said at the Feb. 4 meeting. “People hit the beach and scatter and that’s becoming more and more frequent.”
At the time, city officials noted an uptick in panga boats.
“In recent months, there has been an increase in the number of these unlicensed watercraft vessels that have come ashore in San Clemente. In some cases, the passengers are still aboard, but in many instances, the panga is abandoned,” reads the Feb. 4 staff report.
At Tuesday’s council meeting, city staff said there’s been nine confirmed panga landings this year so far – the same number as last year.
Resident Jackie Menter raised doubts about the city’s characterization of increasing landings.
“Where’s the evidence of that? There is no evidence,” Menter said during public comment. “Why are we talking about inviting more federal intervention into our lives?”
But Knoblock said two panga boats have come ashore in the past two weeks.
“I think in the last 18 months or so in Los Angeles County and Orange County, I’m informed that there were over 30 panga landings now. A little over half of them have been here in San Clemente – including two pangas in the last two weeks,” Knoblock said later in the meeting.
He also said if city officials let federal agents install maritime surveillance cameras, deaths – like recently seen with a capsized panga in Imperial Beach – can be prevented.
Loeffler echoed similar concerns about people drowning to death.
“The fact that it hasn’t happened here does not mean that it won’t happen here,” he said.
A majority of people who spoke during public comment on Tuesday opposed allowing federal agents to install maritime surveillance cameras, but a few supported the move and said it could help bolster public safety of residents.
Councilman Zhen Wu questioned if the move would put the city at odds with California’s sanctuary law – SB 54 – which largely prohibits local law enforcement from working with federal officials on immigration efforts.
“This potentially brings the city closer to conflict with SB54,” Wu said.
He asked the city attorney her opinion on the matter.
“I cannot provide a guarantee one way or another,” City Attorney Elizabeth Mitchell responded, adding that such a scenario hasn’t played out in court yet.
Wu also asked that staff come back with explicit privacy protections spelled out in the proposed lease.
San Clemente potentially signing off on federal surveillance cameras comes at a time when other cities – Anaheim, Costa Mesa and Santa Ana – have gone the opposite direction and rolled out aid programs for residents impacted by the deportation sweeps.
[Read: Immigrant Aid in Orange County Poised to Expand]
The cities have also voted to support a federal lawsuit against the sweeping raids conducted by ICE and Border Patrol agents.
San Clemente resident Kathy Esfahani said the proposal to allow federal maritime surveillance cameras is political.
“So what is this proposal really about?” Esfahani asked council members, adding it’s about “signalling support for the Trump administration’s immigration policies.”
As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, all 12 of the resident emails sent to council members regarding the federal surveillance proposal were against the move.
Many emailed comments say the current deportation sweeps are inhumane and San Clemente’s move to allow federal officials to monitor the coastline would increase the fear throughout immigrant communities.
One resident said the move would lead to a surveillance state.
“We should resist Orwellian attempts to insert more surveillance into our lives.”
Spencer Custodio is the civic editor. You can reach him at scustodio@voiceofoc.org. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerCustodio.