Border Patrol agents in San Diego are dealing with a big increase in Chinese migrants illegally crossing the border every day, causing worries about China’s increasing presence in the US. Reports say that 269 Chinese people were caught by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in one day this week, as noted by Fox News’ Bill Melugin. This count doesn’t include those who get through without being caught.
Chinese illegal immigrant is the fastest-growing group of people crossing the US-Mexico border
Chinese migrants are now the fastest-growing group of people crossing the US-Mexico border. By 2024, the number is expected to surpass the 37,000 Chinese migrants caught in the 2023 fiscal year.
Since the start of the 2024 fiscal year in October, more than 20,000 Chinese migrants have been caught, a huge jump from just 342 in 2021. A US Border Patrol chief has expressed concern that the influx of Chinese migrants is overwhelming his agents. He’s worried about the possibility of missing spies due to inadequate checks.
There’s also concern about the increasing number of US real estate owned by China, leading to questions about whether there should be more rules to limit China’s potential influence in the US.
In San Diego, a favored entry point for Chinese migrants, a video by Melugin highlighted how easily migrants can slip through a small gap in the border fence. Despite awareness of this security issue, the Biden administration has not addressed it for weeks.
California experiences growing number of immigrants trying to cross the border
Recent CBP data shows that the San Diego sector has experienced over 95,000 migrant encounters since October, up from 53,000 during the same period in 2023. Overall, there have been more than one million migrant encounters since October, a record early achievement for a fiscal year, with a significant focus on those coming from China.
There are concerns that among those seeking asylum, some are connected to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its military, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Border officials worry that even more might be evading detection.
During a private meeting with the Homeland Security Committee last September, Anthony Good, the Chief Patrol Agent for the Border Patrol’s El Paso Sector, mentioned that his team is working hard to understand why people from far-off continents are coming to the US. He pointed out that it’s tough to uncover hidden information and motives, including their ideologies or reasons for their journey.
Gloria Chavez, the chief patrol agent for the Border Patrol’s Rio Grande Valley Sector, shared with the Committee in June that the big increase in Chinese migrants has led her team to use translation services. This is because interviewing each Chinese person can take up to seven hours.
These details were made public by DailyMail.com after being shared by the committee.
The committee’s leader, Mark Green, expressed that the rise in Chinese migrants is a significant threat to national security. He highlighted that border agents are stretched thin and noted that many Chinese migrants are being allowed into the US without much attention to where they come from.
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Alejandro Mayorkas in the focus
Green criticized Alejandro Mayorkas, the head of Homeland Security, accusing him of signaling to the world that US borders are essentially open.
“While it is true that some individuals may be seeking relief from authoritarian regimes, there is no way for our brave men and women on the frontlines of this crisis to adequately vet all of them before being effectively forced to release them—particularly when countries like China won’t allow us access to their various law enforcement databases,” he said according to Daily Mail.
“This is simply unsustainable, and the national security risks are massive,” he added.
Safety concerns
The unexpected surge in Chinese migrants crossing the border has led to intense debate about why so many are choosing to undertake the long trip from East Asia, with some suggesting that Beijing might be secretly sending spies.
However, experts on immigration doubt this theory, arguing it’s unlikely the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) would use such a method to send agents. They believe that Xi Jinping would likely use more straightforward methods, like work visas, which have been used before.
Having connections to the CCP and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is fairly common for Chinese citizens and doesn’t automatically imply they are spies.
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In a surprising turn, US government statistics have shown that in the last three years, illegal Chinese migrants have been granted asylum more than any other nationality. This has sparked worries that this trend might encourage even more to make the journey.
In 2022 alone, Chinese nationals made up 14 percent of all successful ‘defensive’ asylum claims.
