Large group of suspected illegal migrants dumped in ritzy California harbor before fleeing among mansions

A boat carrying a large group of suspected migrants has docked at Newport Harbor before those onboard scattered among the surrounding mansions.

The 20-foot panga was abandoned after apparently striking and damaging a nearby yacht, Fox 11 reports.

The vessel is now believed to be in Coast Guard custody. It remains unclear how many people were aboard or whether any of them have been located.

Federal and local authorities have not yet publicly released additional details about the incident.

The California Post has reached out to the US Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security for further information.

Surveillance video recorded Saturday afternoon near Cypress Street appears to show at least a dozen people climbing off the panga one by one before quickly dispersing into the surrounding Newport Beach neighborhood.

The footage is being reviewed by law enforcement sources as authorities investigate how the boat reached the busy waterfront.

The captain-less panga was reportedly left behind after apparently scraping and denting a nearby yacht.

“It’s an unsafe thing, right?” Newport Beach City Council member Erik Weigand told Fox 11. “A bunch of guys coming off a boat, they’re slamming into the neighborhood here and trying to get away as fast as possible.”

A resident described the unusual arrival as “pretty crazy,” while others offered a more sympathetic view of those who had come ashore.

“I have family that are immigrants as well,” fisherman Abram Reyes told the station. “They’re just trying to get away, not go back where they come from.”

Newport Beach resident Diane Elder said she supports immigration but believes people should enter the US through legal channels.

“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.”

A previous incident near Newport Harbor was captured on cellphone video, showing more than 20 suspected migrants disembarking from a panga boat and entering waiting vans.

The Coast Guard later intercepted the vessel and found 21 people aboard, including two individuals from Uzbekistan and one from Russia.

In a separate incident, the Coast Guard rescued 37 suspected migrants nearly 100 miles offshore after their vessel was reportedly left adrift for two days without food, water, or fuel.

More recently, authorities intercepted another group of 24 suspected migrants south of Santa Barbara Island before transferring them to Newport Harbor.

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