Chinese Immigrants Held in Mexico

Associated Press

Last Updated: Sept. 26, 1999 at 1:40:30 a.m.

ENSENADA, Mexico - Mexican officials detained 110 Chinese nationals who allegedly sailed ashore on the Baja Peninsula in an effort to illegally enter the United States, authorities said.

Authorities found the immigrants during a three-day search last week of homes in Cabo Colonet, outside the seaside city of Ensenada, Mexican immigration officer Roberto Perez Jacobo said.

Most of the 96 men and 14 women were reported to be in good condition. Five were dehydrated. The group was scheduled to be shipped to a shelter in Tijuana and likely deported.

Five Mexican nationals suspected of helping the immigrants were also detained.

Baja's remote coastline is a popular target for Asian immigrants who pay to be smuggled into the United States, said Rodolfo Gutierrez Vivanco, assistant to Ensenada's police chief.

He said police had arrested several hundred illegal immigrants in the area this year. About 89 Chinese nationals have been awaiting deportation in Tijuana's municipal auditorium for the past month while the Chinese government attempts to identify them.