An idyllic California beach town has approved the installation of new cameras along its coastline to allow federal immigration officers to monitor the area.
San Clemente in Orange County, one of the wealthiest cities in the entire country, approved an agreement allowing U.S. Customs and Border Protection to install monitoring devices on a hilltop overlooking the ocean to watch for boats smuggling in immigrants.
San Clemente, Calif. has approved the installation of new cameras along its coastline to allow federal immigration officers to monitor the area. Markus Mainka – stock.adobe.com
U.S. Customs and Border Protection will install monitoring devices on a hilltop overlooking the ocean to watch for boats smuggling in immigrants. City of San Clemente“It’s a serious public safety issue, not only for the community, but for the people being smuggled ashore,” said San Clemente Mayor Pro Tem Steve Knoblock.
Under the agreement, federal officers would also be able to track people who enter the city by boat into nearby neighborhoods, while the city itself would not have access to the video footage, according to LAist.
The motion passed the five-member council, despite public opposition, with three voting in favor, one abstaining and one opposed.
Under the agreement, federal officers would also be able to track people who enter the city by boat into nearby neighborhoods. City of San ClementeMark Enmeier, the only council member to vote against the measure, said there is no clear guidance on how surveillance data would be used.
“How can you guarantee that someone who looks like me won’t be swept up in something like this?” Chelsea Sanchez, a San Clemente resident, asked at the council meeting.
Customs and Border Protection said its cameras “would avoid scanning” homes, but city officials warned Tuesday that the agency cannot guarantee it won’t monitor anything inside San Clemente or its neighborhoods.
Beachgoers cross Avenida Victoria near the San Clemente Pier in San Clemente. MediaNews Group via Getty ImagesSan Clemente is not the only city partnering with federal immigration officers.
Glendale signed a 20-year ICE jail contract last summer, while CBP can access San Diego County residents’ data through a regional database.






