Border Patrol officials have tried to calm fears by explaining the enforcement program to Spanish-languagenews organization and trying to bat away rumors.

Border Patrol officials say mistakes are rare because agents are trained to distinguish undocumented immigrants from legal residents.

Border Patrol officials said agents were tracking what they thought was one more person heading east - perhaps one of the coyotes, or smugglers, or a guide.

Border Patrol officials often characterize smuggling rings as large, sophisticated operations that are sometimes intertwined with drug trafficking operations.

Border Patrol officials estimate that at best they capture one of every five Dominican vessels that land here.

Border Patrol officials deny that.

Highway Patrol officials acknowledge that the motorists identified as drunk or reckless drivers who manage to reach their homes without being stopped are probably beyond their reach.

Border Patrol officials said American-Canadian enforcement teams had made about a half-dozen smuggling arrests in the last few months.

Border Patrol officials said they had been investigating Mr. Guevara for previous smuggling incidents.

Border Patrol officials said it had departed from Tavernier, in the middle Keys, picked up the refugees and was headed back to Florida.