By Gabriel Escobar
                  Washington Post Staff Writer
                  Wednesday, February 10, 1999; Page A03

                  The number of Cubans and Haitians caught after landing on Florida's
                  beaches has risen dramatically over the past four months, most of them
                  smuggled into the country by sophisticated operations that have turned the
                  trade in human cargo into a year-round business.

                  Miami Border Patrol agents, accustomed to seeing a significant drop in the
                  smuggling operations during the fall and winter, now say they are
                  dedicating most of their manpower to investigating the Haitians and Cubans
                  arriving on the beaches. More than 1,000 people have been detained in the
                  past four months, equal to the amount normally caught in a year.

                  "The increase is substantial. We are giving it a lot of attention," said
                  Michael Nicley, deputy chief of the U.S. Border Patrol. "But in no way,
                  shape or form are the Border Patrol services overwhelmed at this point."

                  Last weekend nearly 100 additional Cubans and Haitians were picked up
                  off Florida beaches, the latest wave in an influx that began in earnest in
                  May and has continued unabated since. At sea, the Coast Guard
                  interdiction effort also is showing a steep rise since October, averaging 223
                  Cubans and Haitians a month as opposed to 168 for the previous fiscal
                  year.

                  "Usually in the fall it's supposed to taper off, and it never did," said Dan
                  Geoghegan, assistant chief of the U.S Border Patrol in Florida. Of the
                  Cuban government, he said, "Either they are not paying as close attention
                  or there are so many people leaving they can't stop them."

                  During routine interviews, the detained generally cite economic conditions
                  in both countries as the reason for their exodus. "No one is leaving because
                  they are oppressed people. They are leaving because of the economic
                  opportunities in the United States," said Nicley.

                  The Cuban exile community in Miami is also speculating that authorities in
                  Cuba are turning a blind eye to at least some of the smuggling operations,
                  which are generally run through the Bahamas and can net $5,000 to
                  $10,000 per person, estimates show.

                  "I'm convinced that they must have contacts in Cuba that allow them to
                  operate from certain areas," Jose Basulto, with the Cuban exile group
                  Brothers to the Rescue, said of the smugglers. "This would facilitate the
                  operation tremendously."

                  Luis Fernandez, of the Cuban Interest Section, said his government is
                  abiding by an agreement with the United States to stem the flow of
                  migrants. Fernandez blamed the recent influx on U.S.-based "unscrupulous
                  citizens . . . who dedicate themselves to trafficking," as well as on the
                  policy that allows Cubans who land on U.S. soil to remain.

                  "That is a stimulus and it is a situation that must be taken into account by
                  authorities in the United States," said Fernandez, the press attache for the
                  Washington-based section.

                  The Coast Guard captures more Haitians than Cubans on the open seas,
                  the reverse of what happens on land with the Border Patrol, which reports
                  almost twice as many Cubans as Haitians. Cubans who set foot on U.S.
                  soil benefit from a more favorable asylum policy and, consequently, almost
                  always turn themselves in. Haitians caught in the open seas are immediately
                  returned to Haiti while Cubans are allowed to proceed to Florida or, in
                  some cases, sent to the U.S. naval base on the southeastern tip of Cuba at
                  Guantanamo before being returned home.

                  Haitians tend to try to flee the authorities when they land, according to the
                  Border Patrol. Under an agreement with Florida, all those detained must
                  undergo physical exams. Unless there is a medical problem, such as
                  tuberculosis, that requires confinement, most are released and ordered to
                  appear at a later date before an immigration judge. Statistics show that
                  many of them never appear for the hearing.

                  The Executive Office for Immigration Review, the agency that oversees
                  immigration courts, said 22 percent of Haitians failed to show up for
                  hearings in fiscal 1998, down from 28 percent the previous year; 18
                  percent of Cubans failed to appear in 1998, up from 10 percent the
                  previous year. Nationally, about 22 percent of all detainees fail to appear
                  for hearings in immigration court.

                  Fernand Philippe, vice president of the Haitian Refugee Center in Miami,
                  said Haitians spend two to nine weeks in detention. "Everybody knows
                  that this is part of the risk they took," said Philippe, who attributed the
                  recent influx to more aggressive smuggling, and a measure that extended
                  temporary work permits for those apprehended on U.S. shores until
                  December.

                  Patrolling Florida's coastline presents enormous logistical challenges, as the
                  past few months have again proven. The Florida Keys alone historically
                  have been a haven for all kinds of smugglers and are used to bring in
                  Cubans and Haitians. Smuggling is a federal crime and the interdiction
                  effort, augmented with patrols from state and local authorities, has resulted
                  in 21 cases in federal court since last summer.

                  The Border Patrol as a whole has benefited from a huge increase in funding
                  -- the annual budget for personnel and general expenses has risen from
                  $354 million in fiscal 1993 to $875 million in 1998. Most of the money has
                  gone to the border with Mexico. The Miami sector, with 27 agents, a
                  helicopter and boat, had a budget of $8 million in 1998, about $1.5 million
                  more than in 1993.

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