San Clemente, California has officially become the first city within Orange County to allow the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to install a surveillance system to monitor the coast. The high-powered camera is set in a place that overlooks the coast and detects panga boats and illegal immigrants.
San Clemente Mayor Pro Tem Steve Knoblock says that it is a serious public safety issue for the community and the people being smuggled into San Clemente.
The proposal was initiated last year by Knoblock, he said the ocean-facing camera was placed near a water tower off of Avenida Salvador Road and will help curb illegal immigrants.
The camera can see through smoke, fog and other harsh conditions. The camera is also thermal so it can detect movement at night.
“We’ve had 18 panga landings on our beaches in the last year or so. Over half of all the Mexican pangas landing in Los Angeles and Orange County have happened right here in San Clemente,” says Knoblock.
During a Tuesday night city council meeting, several members of the council spoke out and raised concerns about privacy. The proposal was referred to as the “definition of a big brother system,” which directly references the novel 1984 by George Orwell and describes it as too controlling.
Some speakers at this meeting urged the leaders of the City Council to vote against it, the only one who actually did was Councilmember Mark Enmeier.
Enmeier said that he felt there were other ways to handle this situation, such as placing the cameras on the bluffs or at the end of the San Clemente Pier. This way, the citizens of San Clemente would not have to worry about losing their privacy.
The lease agreement is for five years and it comes with the option to renew it three times, totaling 20 years.
All future decisions are up to CBP now that the mayor has approved the agreement. While the agreement is not finalized, it is expected that it will cost the Department of Homeland Security more than one million dollars.
The first version of the lease agreement states that the city will be expected to pay the electrical bills of the cameras.
In recent months, there has been an increase in the number of unlicensed panga boats that have come ashore in San Clemente. It has been found that in some cases, the passengers are still on the boat, but in most cases, the boat is abandoned.
In the year 2026, there have been nine confirmed panga landings within San Clemente, which is the same number as 2025. The amount of illegal immigrants coming into San Clemente has rapidly increased in 2026.
Other cities near San Clemente such as Anaheim, Costa Mesa and Santa Ana have chosen the opposite direction and rolled out aid programs for residents that have been impacted by the recent deportations. These cities have also voted to support a federal lawsuit against the sweeping raids conducted by ICE and other forms of border patrol agents.
The cameras have not officially been put into place yet, however citizens expect them to show up within the next month. San Clemente officials are still deciding whether or not the cameras will be put in place, but based on the look of things according to the city council, the cameras will be put up soon.
