Illegal immigrants found at Kennedy Space Center

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Florida (CNN) -- Fifteen illegal immigrants found Friday on the grounds of the Kennedy Space Center are in custody of the Border Patrol.

Security officers found the immigrants include 14 Chinese -- six men and eight women -- around 9:30 a.m. EDT. One man who is a Jamaican national also was found.

"They were on the beach in the vicinity of Complex 40, just south of the shuttle launch pads," said Kennedy Space Center spokeswoman Lisa Malone. "They didn't do any harm to the facilities. I don't think they knew where they were."

Two shuttles are on the launch pads being prepared for trips to the international space station. Atlantis is scheduled for launch July 12. Discovery is scheduled to fly in August.

Malone said all of the immigrants looked to be in their 20s.

"They appeared to be in good shape," she said. "They weren't dressed in rags, they were dressed in regular clothing -- jeans and shirts."

It was not clear how the immigrants made it to the beach. Border Patrol spokesman Joe Mellia said Chinese immigrants usually fly from mainland China to Central or South America, where they are put on a freighter to the Bahamas. From there they usually cross to the United States by boat.

Mellia said the immigrants are now in Border Patrol custody.

"They'll be sent to a service processing center either here in Florida or somewhere else," he said. "They'll get a hearing before an immigration judge. That could take several weeks or several months."

Mellia said the Border Patrol is investigating whether the Jamaican man is part of an illegal immigrant smuggling operation.