BORDER NEWS

The INS has learned more about an alien smuggling ring bringing in Chinese nationals after detaining three illegal immigrants from China attempting to enter the US through the US Virgin Islands. The men told INS officials that they paid up to $10,000 to smuggleers to get them into America.

- Antonio Nunez, a former pastor in Florida has been arrested for selling as many as 2,000 fake green cards. Nunez also allegedly sold fake social security cards and birth certificates. Nunez could face 40 years imprisonment if convicted.

- A Virginia lawyer, Suk Bin Brian Im, has pleaded guilty in a scheme to pay off INS officials to approve false green card applications for more than 100 South Korean immigrants. An agent of the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms was also arrested in the scheme. Im allegedly collected $260,000 to bribe the INS.

- 15 illegal immigrants were arrested in Texas after attempting to enter the country by hiding under industrial waste carried in railroad cars. The aliens were discovered by inspector dogs. The conditions were said to be quite dangerous and all of the immigrants at the scene needed to be treated for dehydration.

- The Justice Department has charged sixteen individuals with participating in a family-run prostitution ring where the prostitutes were young women, some as young as 14, who were smuggled into the US from Latin America. About 20 women were forced to engage in prostitution and were tortured if they attempted to escape.

- Nearly 200 illegal Mexican workers were picked up and deported to Mexico in a series of INS raids in the Memphis, Tennessee area.

- A delegation of Mexican immigrant leaders in New York met with INS officials to complain about singling out Mexicans for enforcement raids and about a number of other issues including the alleged mistreatment of detained illegal aliens (including withholding food and water and improper touching of female detainees by male agents). The INS denied singling out Mexicans and said it would investigate the allegations of misconduct.

- The INS reports a 200% increase in the number of illegal immigrants caught being smuggled into the US through the state of Texas. In April, for example, the INS pulled over a rental truck and discovered 65 undocumented aliens in “serious, life threatening conditions.” Furthermore, the INS is reporting a big increase in the number of undocumented workers being caught in general in Texas. For example the number of detained illegal workers in San Antonio has jumped 200% a month since October of last year.

- INS officials arrested more than 100 people alleged to have participated in an Arizona-based alien smuggling ring. 99 undocumented workers and seven smuggling suspects were detained as well as one vehicle, two guns and nearly $5000 in cash.

- The US Embassy in Mexico City has issued a warning to Mexican citizens about the great dangers of using alien smugglers to enter the US. The warning cited three recent tragic incidents involving smuggling into the US. One matter involved the prostitution ring noted above. The other two incidents involved Mexicans being crammed into trucks and trains in incredibly dangerous conditions.

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