More Than 24,000 Chinese Illegal Immigrants Nabbed at Southern Border in 2023

AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza

When you think of the porous southern border, you think of Venezuelans, Mexicans, Africans, and other nationalities trying to cross into the United States. But there’s another group that has seen an explosion in the number of people attempting to get in—Chinese nationals. There were over 24,000 Chinese illegal immigrants intercepted by border authorities in 2023, which is more than have been nabbed in the preceding 10 years.

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They're also proving to be highly successful at becoming American residents:

They typically fly into Ecuador, where they do not need a visa. Then, like hundreds of thousands of other migrants from Central and South America and more distant locations, they pay smugglers to guide their travel through the dangerous jungle between Colombia and Panama en route to the United States. Once there, they turn themselves in to border officials and many seek asylum.

And most succeed, in turn fueling further attempts. Chinese citizens are more successful than people from other countries with their asylum claims in immigration court. And those who are not end up staying anyway because China usually will not take them back.

President Biden's border policies have been an abject disaster, with millions coming into the country, including terrorists. Much of the media, however, just cheers it on:

The rest of the above tweet reads:

Nothing about the country being communist and run by a regime with concentration camps. Instead, they said what the media usually say about illegals from Central and South America: They just want a better life. 

"A surge of people with their hopes crushed by China’s weak economy, repression, and corruption." 

One Chinese-American immigration lawyer boasted that these people will be great since "a lot of employers need low-paid employees."

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Author Gordon Chang argues that some of the Chinese illegals may actually be soldiers:

From the above interview:

HOST MARIA BARTIROMO: And Gordon, I mentioned the number of apprehensions at the southern border of Chinese nationals over the last year is up 1,300 percent. Do you think these people are running from the Communist Party, or are they being directed to come and stay in America until further word?

GORDON CHANG: Both.

First of all we're seeing desperate middle-class Chinese, these are generally not poor people because they can afford to pay $35,000 a head to the Mexican cartels to bring them in, but among them are packs of males of between five and 15 who are of military age, not coming with family groups, pretending not to speak English...

A border section patrol chief said that some of them are known to have Chinese military affiliations, so clearly these are saboteurs coming into America to wage war on the United States on the first day that there is war in Asia.

Even if Chang is wrong, and there are no soldiers, the Chinese Communist Party has been infamous for its spying on our industries and military, so it's certainly possible that there are at least spies among the throngs. 

Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) and four other Republicans wrote a Sept. 20 letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, expressing their concerns:

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July set the record for nationwide encounters with Chinese nationals with just over 6,100. 94.8 percent of Chinese national encounters in FY23 have been single adults. This trend poses a significant threat to our national security and warrants immediate attention and action from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Don't hold your breath, Sen. Marshall. 

Biden and Majorkas are playing a dangerous game by refusing to secure the border, and this latest wrinkle only adds to the danger.

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