B.C. gateway for Korean
illegal migrants to U.S. WebPosted Mon
Aug 23 15:42:40 1999
BLAINE, WA. - Police and immigration
officials say they're witnessing a dramatic increase in the number
of South Koreans trying to enter the United States illegally through
B.C. border crossings.
Vancouver
airport has expelled 700 Korean illegal migrants in 18 months.
| The recent arrival of two
boatloads of Chinese migrants off B.C.'s coast has prompted an
intense debate about whether Canada's immigration laws are too lax.
Yet Canadian officials say Chinese boatpeople make up just a
small fraction of those trying to abuse the system.
Other nationalities, they say, have a much easier time getting
here -- and use equally sophisticated smuggling operations to get
in.
At Vancouver International Airport, South Korea is No. 1 on the
list of nationalities of illegal migrants. They make the move
because of poor economic conditions at home.
South Korean nationals don't require a visa to enter Canada and
can take advantage of relatively cheap flights.
Nine direct flights from Seoul touch down each week in Vancouver.
Many on board are hoping theirs will be a one-way trip, says Paula
Bennet, manager for citizenship and immigration at the airport.
In the last 18 months, her staff has expelled almost 700 South
Koreans -- all suspected of coming to Canada hoping to be smuggled
into the United States.
Canadian officials expect the number of South Koreans using
Canada as a springboard to the States will continue to rise.
That means more work for Carey James of the U.S. border patrol in
Blaine, Wash., just south of Vancouver.
In a single week this spring, James's staff arrested 25 South
Koreans trying to sneak across the border.
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