A new U.S. Customs and Border Protection surveillance system will keep watch over San Clemente’s shores for any incoming panga boats that could be carrying migrants aboard.
The San Clemente City Council on Tuesday approved a lease agreement with the federal agency to station the $1-million maritime surveillance tower on a hilltop at the Avenida Salvador Reservoir.
Under the terms, CBP would foot the bill for associated utilities costs and pay a one-time $10 fee.
“From a public safety standpoint, I want to deter these pangas from coming in, period,” said Mayor Rick Loeffler. “I just want them to know that it isn’t safe for them to come here and come this way.”
Dozens of community members packed council chambers to oppose the lease amid President Trump’s federal crackdown on immigration and concerns over privacy rights.
“Our concern was never about the cost of the electricity, it was about the cost of our liberty,” Robyn Seymour, a San Clemente resident and business owner, told the council. “Paying the bill does not buy the right to turn the hills of San Clemente into a federal watchtower.”
San Clemente had considered some form of maritime surveillance for about a year.
When serving as mayor, Councilmember Steve Knoblock sought a system staffed by residents in a proposal last February that his colleagues did not support.
Instead, the council directed City Manager Andy Hall to initiate talks with CBP to gauge the agency’s interest.
After months of negotiations, the initial terms of a future 20-year lease agreement included San Clemente covering all utility costs while collecting $10 per month in rent. The federal government proposed maintaining all control over the surveillance system.
During its Nov. 18 meeting, the City Council asked city staff to go back to the negotiating table.
An initial five-year lease agreement came back before the panel on Tuesday with new terms for consideration, including CBP covering utility costs and paying the one-time fee in lieu of monthly rent.
But the federal government would not contractually agree to any specific privacy language, as it cited the right to surveil any panga boat smuggling operations that proceeded on land through the city.
Councilmember Mark Enmeier criticized the proposed changes and questioned the smuggling exception spelled out in the lease.
“We would have to trust them without any sort of oversight,” he said of CBP. “We cannot verify what the system sees or records. Residents are asked to trust a permanent surveillance system without proof or limits.”
Enmeier suggested the city could collaborate instead with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and Orange County Fire Authority on coastal camera systems to provide public safety without sacrificing local oversight.
Knoblock inflamed detractors in the audience with his steadfast support of the CBP surveillance tower and Trump’s immigration crackdown.
“Our privacy is not being invaded. None of your liberties are being invaded,” he said. “If you’re an illegal alien and you’re caught in this town, you’re going to be removed. That’s the law of the land. It’s been that way for decades. President Trump seems to be the only one in the last five years that’s been willing to enforce the law.”
The debate continued past midnight. It came amid no statistically significant uptick in panga boat landings on San Clemente’s shores last year as compared to 2024.
Councilmember Zhen Wu said he did not feel San Clemente would be entering the lease agreement as equal partners with the federal government, while Councilmember Victor Cabral said it was his belief the updated terms addressed some of the concerns expressed in November by his colleagues.
As a former police officer, Loeffler acknowledged that federal immigration raids under Trump have “shaken” trust in the federal government. But he suggested that public safety may outweigh privacy concerns.
“I’m having a hard time seeing the privacy issue,” Loeffler said. “We’ll know if we see it.”
“How will we know?” Enmeier asked.
“What [is the federal government] doing that you don’t know?” Loeffler said.
“Exactly,” Enmeier countered.
At the end of almost an hour-long debate at the dais, a council majority approved the lease agreement with Enmeier dissenting and Wu abstaining.
San Román writes for Times Community News.
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