Change of venue for
some illegal migrants WebPosted Jul
30 1999 10:09 AM PDT
VANCOUVER - Hearings for some of the
Chinese migrants will be heard in Vancouver today. Immigration
officials transferred 19 of the migrants to Vancouver Thursday
afternoon.
It appears the stringent security surrounding the compound
housing the Chinese migrants wasn't enough. Immigration
officials decided to transfer 19 of the migrants to
Vancouver's pre-trial center. Jim Redmond is the manager of
Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
"There was segregation in that they slept and ate in a
different area. But people were, it is a gymnasium so you have
to appreciate it's not two separate buildings. So there is
contact. And there was contact."
Officials believe the nineteen were in some way involved in
the smuggling ring, whether as members of the ship's crew or
acting as enforcers. RCMP Constable Stacey Rook says the group
is the subject of an ongoing police investigation.
"It's too early to say if charges will be laid. We're in
the early stages of the criminal investigation. We're still
conducting witness interviews with individuals who are in
custody at this time."
The 19 will remain in Vancouver through the length of their
refugee claimant process. The remainder of the migrants will
remain at C.F.B. Esquimalt near Victoria. That's with the
exception of a group of eight boys who have been released into
government care.
|