In New Jersey, two crew members of a cargo ship were convicted of smuggling illegal Chinese immigrants into the U.S. from South America. The smuggling operation was discovered in May when 23 Chinese men were found wandering the streets. The two men convicted are both Koreans.

In New York, a smuggling ring that has transported more than 3600 Chinese immigrants into the U.S. from Canada over the past two years has been broken up with the arrests of over 35 people and the indictment of 12 others. The members of the ring, mostly Chinese nationals and members of the Mohawk Indian tribe, transported the immigrants across the border through a Mohawk reservation. This area of upstate New York is lightly patrolled, and is geographically perfect for smuggling operations. The break-up of the ring was the result of the combined efforts of American and Canadian authorities.

In Miami and Dallas, the largest alien smuggling ring in U.S. history was broken up after the indictments and arrests of two key figures. Over the past three years, the ring brought in more than 10,000 illegal immigrants and bought in almost $200 million for those running it.

The arrests were the result of Operation Keep and Seek, the first INS investigation involving the use of wiretaps, as authorized by Section 201 of the Illegal Immigration and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996. Other agencies involved were the FBI, the IRS, the U.S. Post Office, the U.S. Customs Service and the State Department.

Most of the immigrants were from India, but nationals from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Syria were among others smuggled into the U.S. The average cost to the alien was about $20,000. The route most often followed was to ship the aliens from India to Moscow, then to Cuba, and from Cuba to the Bahamas, where they were flown or boated into Miami. Another common route was from Cuba to Ecuador, from where the aliens would be driven through Mexico to the southern U.S.

The ring was motivated by the desire of some employers "who want cheap labor and fearful workers who could be easily manipulated," said Attorney General Janet Reno. This desire is indeed widespread, with immigrants brought in through this ring found in 38 states at over 1000 work sites.

The investigation is continuing, and the INS plans on targeting the employers who used the illegal immigrant workers.