Feb. 12, 2002 – Immigration and Naturalization Service agents have picked up 31 undocumented aliens in the last few days, most of them believed to have been dropped off by smugglers at a beach in the V.I. National Park on St. John.
On Sunday, agents took a group of 10 Chinese nationals, seven Haitians, one Cuban and one citizen of the Dominican Republic into custody near Leinster Bay.
Those 19 people have been transferred to the Golden Grove prison on St. Croix and were expected to appear in District Court on Tuesday to face illegal immigration charges, court officials said.
On Monday, 12 immigrants appeared in District Court on St. Thomas to be advised of their rights on illegal immigration charges. The group comprised four Haitians, four people from the Dominican Republic, three Syrians and one Guyanese, according to court documents.
Some members of the group being held on St. Thomas told INS investigators that they had been dropped off early Friday morning, also at Leinster Bay, INS Special Agent William Monk stated in an affidavit in the court records.
All of the St. Thomas group had been apprehended on St. John except for the Syrians, who were arrested later on Friday near the Bunker Hill Guesthouse in downtown Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas. The 12 are being detained pending a court hearing scheduled for Wednesday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Barnard said.
