Turning Point USA

As the southern U.S. border continues to witness record-breaking highs in illegal entries, Chinese migrants are emerging as the fastest-growing group, according to a report by BCS News.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection recorded 37,000 apprehensions of Chinese migrants at the border in the previous year, a staggering increase of 50 times compared to just two years earlier. Notably, more than half of these Chinese migrants (55%) were granted asylum in 2023, a figure significantly higher than the average for other nationalities, which stood at 14%.

According to CBS News, Border Patrol personnel confronted Chinese migrants at the southern border with instructions broadcasted in Mandarin. Migrants were driven to a detention facility near San Diego, were interviewed, and within 72 hours were released into the U.S. to be processed for an asylum claim.

“We were surprised to see the number of people coming through from China…nearly 7,000 miles away,” CBS News reports. “Our cameras, and at one point this armed Border Patrol agent standing 25 feet away…. did not deter them.”

Chinese migrants are using social media platforms like TikTok to receive guidance on engaging smugglers and successfully crossing the border. TikTok, a Chinese-owned app, is providing step-by-step instructions, contributing to the surge in arrivals.

Many Chinese migrants are adopting a strategy of flying to Central American countries, such as Ecuador, where visas are not required for Chinese passport holders. From there, travel to Mexico and enlist the services of smugglers who charge $400 to escort them to a 4-foot gap in the border near San Diego.

The escalating number of Chinese migrants entering through the southern border comes at a time when the U.S. has significantly reduced the number of temporary visas issued to Chinese nationals. In 2016, over 2.2 million visas were granted to Chinese individuals, a number that drastically fell to 160,000 in 2022.