Dominican boat people exodus larger in January than all of 2003

[Judi Lynn]

Dominican boat people exodus larger in January than all of 2003

By PAISLEY DODDS
Associated Press Writer

ABOARD THE U.S. COAST GUARD CUTTER KEY BISCAYNE --
Slicing through whitecapped swells on a passage between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, a newly deployed U.S. Coast Guard cutter patrolled Friday in a push to halt an exodus of Dominican migrants trying to reach U.S. shores.

Authorities in January caught more Dominican boat people then they did in all of last year, signaling growing desperation in a nation struggling through its worst economic crisis in decades.

The surge has prompted the United States to deploy more ships and aircraft in the Caribbean, where short-staffed agencies are expected to do search and rescue missions, hunt for drug traffickers, protect fisheries and guard against terrorist threats to cruise ships and oil refineries.

"We're seeing something like we've never seen before," said Coast Guard Lt. John Morkan, 35, aboard the Key Biscayne cutter from St. Petersburg, Florida, which arrived last month with its 18 crew on a 35-day deployment in the Mona Passage.
(snip/...)

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040206/APN/402061048

[The Backlash Cometh]

1. Okay, here's an idea. If we're going to outsource let's outsource to

countries which are just a rowboat away from us. Why, exactly, do we outsource to India? We can control the immigration from India.

[Thor_MN]

2. Any chance this is related to pretzel-boy's amnesty talks?

.