Thread: Illegal migrants make selves at home in Florida house

JUPITER ISLAND, Florida (CNN) -- At least 14 men who apparently traveled by open boat across the Caribbean ended their voyage this week at the wealthy enclave of Jupiter Island, just north of posh West Palm Beach, where some broke into a home to cook themselves a meal and get cleaned up, police said.

A first 911 call came at 9:21 p.m. Tuesday, when a resident reported seeing "a dozen Haitian men" walking in the area, said Lt. Janelle Atlas of the Martin County Sheriff's Office.

Next, homeowners called to say they returned home to find "eggs on the stove, the shower having recently been used and a wet grocery bag of clothes," Atlas said. Police believe some of the illegal migrants broke into the house but ran out the back door when the owner returned, she said.

As they searched for the men, police found a boat containing a handgun and a duffel bag of heroin -- and in the water next to the boat was a man's body, Atlas said.

Police identified the man as 58-year-old Jamaican resident Nigel Warren, she said, and the medical examiner's office has ruled the death a drowning.

Twelve suspected illegal migrants were in custody Friday, Atlas said. Police continued to search for a man believed to be the captain of the boat, she said.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/29/boat.people/index.html

They had that happen alot in an area near where I lived in Florida. Alot of Snow-birds would leave their property empty for awhile or homes were't sold immediately after someone died and they just settled in. People came and went so much alot didn't even know the people weren't supposed to be there.

Pretty soon, Nancy Pelosi will side with the ACLU that the illegals should be allowed to keep the house.

Originally Posted by TexasCowgirl

Pretty soon, Nancy Pelosi will side with the ACLU that the illegals should be allowed to keep the house.

I thought she already did ,I know bUsH would want them to have it ,He has shown America what he's all about .

Originally Posted by TexasCowgirl

JUPITER
As they searched for the men, police found a boat containing a handgun and a duffel bag of heroin
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/29/boat.people/index.html

Drug runners. This must be what Bush means when he says illegals only take jobs americans don't want.

That just takes the cake!

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/treasureco ... _1231.html

Police charge 2 with murder

By Daphne Duret
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Sunday, December 31, 2006

HOBE SOUND — Two men found dehydrated and covered with sand in a taxicab early Saturday are accused of smuggling more than a dozen Jamaican men to waters near Jupiter Island on Thursday and drowning one by forcing him and others to jump from their boat at gunpoint.

Ricky Thompson, 40, and Johnson Leon Brice, 38, were arrested just after 2:30 a.m. Saturday. Both are charged with murder in the death of Nigel Warren, 58, who was found near the 36-foot Intrepid after it ran aground off Blowing Rocks Preserve Thursday night.

The men denied knowing anything about the boat, but Martin County sheriff's deputies say several of the 12 passengers identified Thompson as the captain and Brice as the co-captain. They identified Thompson and Brice from photo lineups. They said they knew Thompson as "Daddy" and had paid him several thousand dollars to be transported to the United States from the Bahamas.

They said Brice pulled out a handgun after they left Freeport on Thursday afternoon, threatening to shoot them if they were working with law enforcement, deputies reported.

According to arrest records, the boat was about 100 miles from Jupiter Island when Thompson ordered them to jump into the water, knowing some of them could not swim. Warren's body was found with a life vest, but several said they were forced to jump without one.

"Several of them were in shock and not able to cope with the death of their friend," sheriff's Detective Sgt. John Silvas wrote in an arrest report. "Some of the witnesses stated they barely made it to shore."

The undocumented immigrants are being held at a detention center in Riviera Beach.

Investigators said once Thompson and Brice were on land, they broke into a house, showered, ate, stole a kayak and rowed up the Intercoastal Waterway before 8 a.m. Friday.

Investigators believe they hid in a wooded area near the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge Center for most of the day.

Their arrest came after a cab driver showed up at a Mobil gas station near Bridge Road and U.S. 1 early Saturday. The driver asked two deputies for directions to the Wildlife Refuge Center. The driver then returned to the gas station with the two suspects in the back seat.

The deputies stopped the cab and arrested both men. In addition to being dehydrated and covered in sand, Thompson was not wearing pants.

Deputies said Thompson and Brice told them they had been left at a "wild party" in the area. They both asked for attorneys after denying involvement in the smuggling, according to arrest reports.

Sheriff's deputies said they also found a gun and a duffel bag full of what they believe is heroin on the boat.

Thompson and Brice are being held without bail at the Martin County jail. Brice, who has a listed address in North Carolina, also has outstanding warrants on trafficking charges in Georgia.