Thread: 15 illegal aliens found on Santa Cruz Island

15 suspected illegal immigrants found on Santa Cruz Island

By Cindy Von Quednow
Posted July 10, 2011 at 5:49 p.m., updated July 10, 2011 at 8:08 p.m.

The U.S. Coast Guard and National Park Service discovered 15 suspected illegal immigrants Sunday afternoon whom, it appeared, had been left on Santa Cruz Island since Friday.

"Everybody was fine, they weren't in any distress, they just didn't have access to food or water," said Petty Officer 1st Class Adam Eggers with the U.S. Coast Guard. "This case was a little bit different because we don't normally get contacted by the suspected migrants themselves."

The Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach received a phone call Friday evening from a man who said he and three other people had been dropped off on an island and were stranded, according to the Coast Guard. The connection was lost shortly after the call was made.

The Coast Guard dispatched a helicopter and the cutter Blackfin to search the area, but was unable to find anyone. The Coast Guard then issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast to get boaters in the area to contact authorities if anyone from the island approached them asking for assistance, according to the report.

When a boat contacted the Coast Guard Sunday and said there were four people on the island off the Ventura County coast requesting assistance, Blackfin and the National Park Service responded, finding 15 suspected immigrants instead of the four reported, according to the report.

The 14 men and one woman were on the north side of the island, near Cueva Valdez, said Yvonne Menard, National Park Service spokeswoman. They were between the ages of 30 and 40.

Menard said park staff and volunteers searched on Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz islands, and patrol boats were around Santa Barbara and Anacapa islands.

"Everyone was on alert," she said. "It's a good thing they were located and able to get rescued before they had further needs of food and water. The utmost concern is their safety and health."

The Coast Guard reports the 15 people, were taken on the Blackfin to Santa Barbara, where they were turned over to the Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol, Santa Barbara Police Department and Customs and Border Protection officers, who will handle the incident.

It is unclear where they people are from or how they got there, Eggers said, but there were reports that they are Mexican nationals.

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/jul/10/ ... ear-santa/

Catalina Island is overun with illegals.