Twenty-two Chinese immigrants attempting to enter the United States illegally have been detained after their boat ran aground in fog off the American coast of New Jersey on Saturday.

An Immigration official from the Immigration and Naturalisation Service said each man from China's Fukien province paid around forty-thousand dollars to be smuggled into the United States.

The immigrants are expected to face court proceedings which could lead to their expulsion.

Correspondents say thousands of Chinese enter the United States illegally every year.