More than 140,000 Chinese nationals, mostly single males, have illegally entered the United States since President Joe Biden took office. The number does not include persons who have evaded capture.
At the conclusion of the 2023 fiscal year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported that the total number of apprehensions from China was 24,048 persons, more than 10 times the 1,970 arrests recorded in 2022.
In one California border sector, where the majority are apprehended, CBP announced that between October and February, the 21,000 encounters with Chinese citizens surpassed the 18,700 Mexicans taken into custody.
The influx has caused concern in Washington over the possible national security implications that their presence brings. This fear was realized on March 27, when an unnamed Chinese individual was arrested for attempting to enter the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California, without identification.
The incident comes as The Wall St. Journal reported that unauthorized Chinese citizens, often posing as tourists, attempted to access or surveil sensitive U.S. military instillations more than 100 times in recent years.
Last summer, House Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green (R-TN), announced that his committee had obtained evidence from the U.S. Border Patrol confirming that many of the detained, and later released per Biden administration policy, have ties to China’s People's Liberation Army.
The migrants will typically fly to Ecuador, as there is no visa requirement, then pay guides to transport them to the U.S. border. Many of the transients will claim asylum on the basis that they are victims of the oppressive regime in Beijing.
Related Story: Border Patrol Union Head Warns of Spike in Military-Aged Men from China Crossing U.S. Border
