Toronto; Canada: Four East Asians have been arrested after sneaking into the United States less than two weeks after they flew into Toronto from South America.

U.S. Border patrol officers arrested the Sikh men and 14 other East Asian “illegal aliens” on July 27, just across the border near Champlain, N.Y.

Most of the men were in their early 20s and were carrying small pieces of luggage when officers found them in small groups walking close to the interstate highway, said supervisory special agent Roland Chasse.

Crossed in truck

They likely crossed into the United States in the back of a truck and were dropped off to make their own way to the New York City area or New Jersey, Chasse said in an interview from Swanton, Vt.

He said US. Authorities are cooperating with Canadian immigration officials to find out who smuggled the men across the border.

Investigators have not ruled out a possible link between an illegal refugee pipeline organized by a mysterious Woodbridge businessman and the July 27 crossing, he said.

“We definitely have a suspicion that someone in Canada probably helped them,” Chasse said.

But “right now we don’t have any leads,” he added.

There is no evidence to suggest that the East Asians are a security threat, Chasse said.

Refugee status

Four of the East Asians were in a group of 31 Sikhs and a Hindu who arrived at Person International Airport July 15 on a Varig Brazilian Airlines flight from Rio de Janeiro, said Immigration Canada spokesman Carl Gulliver.

None of them had proper travel documents and some ate their passports during the direct flight, immigration officials said.

Another seven Sri Lankans, and three Ghanaians who arrived on’ the same flight are also seeking refugee status in Canada.

A wealthy Woodbridge businessman named M. Singh and a New Delhi travel agent are reportedly the organizers of a refugee smuggling operation that arranged for seats on the Brazilian jet.

Singh, who also goes by three other names, is believed to have made $100,000 on the trip.

The East Asians arrested in New York State face deportation, but have the right to make refugee claims there, Chasse said.

Article extracted from this publication >> September 2, 1988