A new analysis shows that Chinese nationals have outnumbered Mexicans crossing the southern US border in San Diego in recent months.
Fox News received unreleased CBP data showing 21,000 interactions with Chinese nationals in the San Diego Sector since October.
Chinese Migrants Crossing US-Mexico Border Increase
CAMPO, CA - OCTOBER 08: A U.S. flag put up by activists who oppose illegal immigration flies near the US-Mexico border fence in an area where they search for border crossers October 8, 2006 near Campo, California. The activists want the fence expanded into a fully-lit double-fenced barrier between the US (R) and Mexico. US Fish and Wildlife Service wardens and environmentalists warn that a proposed plan by US lawmakers to construct 700 miles of double fencing along the 2,000-mile US-Mexico border, in an attempt to wall-out illegal immigrants, would also harm rare wildlife. Wildlife experts say cactus-pollinating insects would fly around fence lights, birds that migrate by starlight in the desert wilderness would be confused, and large mammals such as jaguars, Mexican wolves, Sonoran pronghorn antelope, and desert bighorn sheep would be blocked from migrating across the international border, from California to Texas.
The San Diego Sector alone encountered 21,000 Chinese nationals since the beginning of the fiscal year, overshadowing the 18,700 Mexicans and 28,000 Colombians. The diverse array of countries of origin, including Ecuador, Guatemala, Turkey, Guinea, and Peru, underscores the global complexity of migration patterns at the US-Mexico border.
Chinese individuals detained by Border Patrol at the southern border increased from 1,970 in fiscal 2022 to 24,048 in fiscal 2023. This surge is due to Chinese citizens' high asylum claim success rate and discontent with China's epidemic response and economy. Many Chinese flew to Ecuador without a visa and then navigated the dangerous 3,000-mile Darien Gap to reach the US, known as 'zouxian' or 'walk the line.'
"This wave of emigration reflects despair toward China," commented Cai Xia, editor-in-chief of the online commentary site of Yibao and a former professor at the Central Party School of the Chinese Communist Party. "They've lost hope for the future of the country," added Cai, now residing in the US. The migrants include individuals from various backgrounds, encompassing the educated and uneducated, white-collar workers, small business owners, and those from affluent families.
Despite the motivations behind the surge, concerns have emerged regarding the national security implications of the influx of Chinese migrants. Chief Patrol Agent Anthony Good of the Border Patrol's El Paso Sector highlighted the challenges in understanding the motives of individuals from other continents, emphasizing the potential for hidden information, agendas, and ideologies, according to Time of India.
Read Also: US Lawmakers Consider Sanctioning Chinese Firms for Aiding Russia's War with Ukraine
US Border Struggles with Chinese Migrants
Chinese migrants have the greatest asylum claim success rate in the US, thus border officers face additional hurdles. Due to the spike, Gloria Chavez, chief patrol agent for the Border Patrol's Rio Grande Valley Sector, said each Chinese national needs translators for seven-hour questioning. Links between Chinese nationals and the People's Liberation Army and the Chinese Communist Party have caused national security concerns, according to certain authorities.
The surge in Chinese asylum seekers has sparked apprehension about potential national security risks from both Republican lawmakers and border officials, given China's geopolitical status. Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, expressed concerns about the majority of Chinese border-crossers being single adult males of military age, raising fears of espionage.
Immigration organizations say China has a harsh government, justifying asylum. Authorities scrutinize special-interest nations like China more thoroughly. San Diego has seen entries from special-interest nations including Mauritania, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan, making illegal immigration management difficult.
Since October, the San Diego Sector has met over 140,000 illegal aliens, contributing to the border-wide total of over 961,000 this fiscal year. After a record 2.4 million interactions in fiscal 2023, December peaked at 301,000 before dropping to 176,000 in January, Fox News reported.
Related Article: Philippines, US Conduct Joint Air Patrol Over South China Sea Amid Maritime Tensions
