Nine illegal immigrants from Haiti and the Dominican Republic were picked up on St. John Saturday near Cruz Bay, according to police.
Residents reported illegal immigrants near Cinnamon Bay at mid-morning, but a search turned up nothing. The nine — four women, four men and a young boy — were spotted in Cruz Bay a while later.
The immigrants have since been turned over to the Immigration and Naturalization Service for processing; they were charged with illegal entry.
Thirty-one illegal immigrants were apprehended on St. John in early January. Last year, nearly 500 illegal immigrants were known to have entered the U.S. Virgin Islands, far surpassing the total in 1999.
