#4661: Coast Guard takes Haitian immigrants off disabled boat (fwd)

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From:nozier@tradewind.net

Posted at 4:30 p.m. EDT Thursday, July 20, 2000 
 Coast Guard takes Haitian immigrants off disabled boat
 BY HERALD ONLINE STAFF 

 The U.S. Coast Guard this afternoon took more than 20 Haitian
immigrants off a disabled boat that ended up stalled in the water off
the Florida coast. The 25-foot cabin cruiser was stuck about 40 miles
off Boca Raton. The 21 or 22 passengers were taken off the boat and were
aboard the Coast Guard cutter Baranof this afternoon, said Petty Officer
Scott Carr. A second cutter towed the disabled boat. The Coast Guard
alerted the U.S. Border Patrol because it seems the immigrants were
smuggled, Carr said. Border Patrol spokesman Joe Mellia said agents from
the West Palm Beach office would probably arrive at the cutter tomorrow
to interview the immigrants.