BORDER NEWS The recent arrests of 21 South Korean nationals attempting to enter the US from Canada have highlighted a new method being taken to smuggle people into the US. Those arrested had landed in Vancouver only days earlier. According to the Border Patrol, the people seemed to be well-to-do tourists. According to the South Korean government, the people had established connections in both Canada and the US, and they believe it is a sign that smuggling from Korea is on the rise. Three foreign nationals have been charged in relation to the incident. If convicted they face sentences up to ten years and fines of $250,000.
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More information from the federal report on the Canadian border was recently leaked to the press. According to the report, the northern border is too lightly guarded to prevent the smuggling of drugs and weapons across it. Details of the report, which had remained secret for security reasons, were leaked after it was decided to transfer two aircraft normally stationed on the northern border to the south. Last December INS Commissioner Meissner had promised there would be no more transfers like this, but the INS considers the need to prevent heat related deaths on the southern border to be an extreme emergency.
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Police in San Diego are investigating what they believe was a hate crime committed by a group of eight to ten teenagers against three migrant workers. The youths drove up to the men, all of whom were over 60, began yelling ethnic slurs and began firing at the men with a BB gun. They beat the men up and stole their wallets. No arrests have been made.
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According to the INS, the US Virgin Islands are increasingly being used by Chinese migrants attempting to enter the US mainland. Last year more that 400 Chinese nationals were detained on the three islands that make up the US Virgin Islands. So far this year, almost 200 have been detained on just two of the islands. While figures were not available for the third, officials say more people have been detained there than at either of the other two.
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The Coast Guard this week repatriated seven Cuban migrants found adrift on a raft 50 miles off Key West. Also planned is the repatriation of 32 other Cubans found on a deserted island in the Bahamas. Four people were also found on the island who, because of medical concerns, were taken to a hospital in the US. Because they made it to US soil, they will be allowed to remain in the US.
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Twenty-six Haitian migrants found off the Florida coast north of Miami are suspected of having been smuggled to the US. The boat in which they traveled was registered in the Bahamas, where the last leg of their journey began. Border Patrol officials say they believe they know the identities of the smugglers, but no charges have yet been filed. The Haitians are being kept in the Krome Detention Center until their cases are processed. Only those found to have a valid asylum claim will be allowed to remain. < Back | Next > Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided as a public service and not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Any reliance on information contained herein is taken at your own risk. | 
