ALIEN SMUGGLING OPERATION THWARTED

UNCLAS VANCOUVER 001521 SIPDIS G/TIP FOR WENDY OWEN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KCRM CVIS KWMN CA KS SUBJECT: ALIEN SMUGGLING OPERATION THWARTED ¶1. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) personnel arrested a group of twelve people attempting to enter the U.S. near Oroville, Washington, on December 1. The group, consisting of seven women and five men, was arrested in a van near the Washington-British Columbia border minutes after entering the US on foot. All except the driver were South Korean nationals. The driver, Julian Ng of Burnaby, British Columbia, is a citizen of Canada. The van had been rented under another person's name in Seattle. ¶2. The group will be interviewed in depth today by a team from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to determine the possible charges that might be brought against the individuals involved. In discussions with DHS officials, post has learned that one of those arrested appears to have been denied entry to the US at Los Angeles airport in 2001 as an alien smuggler. ICE officials believe additional arrests may be possible in this case. ¶3. Comment: The incident has appeared on several local news media in Vancouver and may pressage an increase in South Korean alien smuggling in our consular district. In 2003, estimates of South Koreans being smuggled into the US along our consular district's southern border ran as high as 400 a month. LUKENS