SOUTHLAND : INS Rounds Up 28 Illegal Aliens on Catalina After Residents Complain
Immigration officials arrested 28 illegal aliens today who were living in makeshift camps or crowded apartments on Santa Catalina Island.
The roundup occurred in response to complaints by local residents and public officials angered by the growing number of illegal aliens working and living on the island, said John Belluardo, a spokesman for the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
“Many of the illegal aliens were living in makeshift camps erected in the hills surrounding the city of Avalon,” Belluardo said.
Others occupied apartment buildings with as many as 10 people living in each unit, he said.
INS agents arrested the 28 men with the help of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which provided temporary detention space at the sheriff’s Avalon substation, he said.
The Coast Guard also assisted by ferrying the aliens to a detention facility at Terminal Island.
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