Spain holds 452 illegal immigrants

Police caught 452 Africans trying to enter southern Spain yesterday, the biggest group detained in one day, the Interior Ministry said.

Police caught 452 Africans trying to enter southern Spain yesterday, the biggest group detained in one day, the Interior Ministry said.

Most were picked up before dawn as they wandered on beaches near the town of Tarifa or floated just offshore in overcrowded boats, the ministry said. Some were treated for exhaustion or hypothermia after crossing the Strait of Gibraltar.

Nearly all the group were Moroccan and 33 were women. The state news agency, Efe, quoted police as saying three of them were pregnant, but the ministry said it could not confirm the report.

So far this year, police in southern Spain have detained more than 10,500 immigrants, nearly double the total for 1999. The government says many believed the country's new immigration law would automatically grant them residency even if they arrive illegally. (AP)