The government of Guam is worried that its problems with illegal immigration are going unnoticed in the U.S. Guam, a 36-mile-long island in the western Pacific Ocean, is a U.S. territory. Once on shore, immigrants can seek asylum there. The vast majority of recent illegal entrants have been Chinese nationals from the Fujian province, brought in by smugglers called ‘snakeheads.’ They charge between $20,000 and $30,000 and often collect the fees through indentured servitude.

While the numbers are not as large as illegal entrants into the mainland U.S., they are threatening to overwhelm available resources on the island. Nearly 600 Chinese are being held on Guam, and 400 are being held on a nearby island following their capture at sea. Officials suspect as many as 2,000 more may be living undetected on the island.