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BORDER NEWS
A date has been set for the trial of three men involved in the hostage situation at a Louisiana jail last December, June 19, 2000.  Each has been charged with aggravated kidnapping, aggravated battery and simple battery.  Aggravated kidnapping can carry a sentence of life without parole.  One of those to be tried is currently serving a 55-year sentence for attempted murder, a sentence handed down after the hostage crisis was resolved.  
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A group of Mexican soldiers wandered into Texas and fired two shots at Border Patrol agents according to a Border Patrol report issued on Wednesday.  There were no injuries, but nine soldiers were detained.  Apparently two Humvees driven by Mexican soldiers on an anti-drug mission crossed a poorly marked section of the border near El Paso, Texas.  After the Border Patrol agents identified themselves two shots were fired from one of the vehicles, although it is unclear who fired them.  The Humvee from which the shots were fired drove back into Mexican territory, while the soldiers in the other surrendered to the Border Patrol and were released after brief questioning.
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A federal court has sentenced six men for their roles in smuggling 128 Chinese nationals into Georgia last year to terms ranging from just under two years to over seven years.  All of those aboard the ship have sought asylum, but none of the applications have yet been adjudicated.  Those who were sentenced will most likely be deported after their prison terms are completed. 
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Two Chinese nationals have admitted their involvement in the smuggling of Chinese into Seattle aboard container ships.  They were arrested near the Seattle port in January during the height of the smuggling activity, when hundreds of Chinese nationals were found in containers aboard ships.  They face up to ten years in prison and fines up to 0,000, and could face further indictments, as the current ones relate to only one ship.