US News

Number of Chinese migrants caught at southern border skyrockets over 700%

The number of Chinese migrants illegally crossing into the US during the last three months of 2022 skyrocketed by over 700% compared to the same period a year earlier, data shows.

The Customs and Border Protection apprehended 1,862 Chinese nationals trying to cross the US-Mexico border during the last quarter of 2022, according to numbers provided by Customs and Border Protection.

Just 229 migrants were seized from the southern border during those same months in 2021.

The amount of illegal Chinese migrants encountered by the CBP has been steadily increasing every month since February 2021, according to federal data.

The number of Chinese nationals illegally crossing into the US this fiscal year, which kicked off in October, is set to eclipse the total number caught in the entirety of 2022.

A Chinese migrant that crossed the Rio Grande into Texas is detained by a Border Patrol K-9 unit on Sept. 10, 2019. Getty Images
Border patrol agents talk with an undocumented immigrant from China on Sept. 10. 2019 in Mission, Texas. Getty Images

Only 1,970 illegal migrants from the People’s Republic of China were caught at the southern border by CBP throughout the entire 2022 fiscal year, agency data shows.

Most of those caught are single adults.

At least 15 nationals, in their 20s through their 50s, were in custody at the DHS’s Rio Grande Valley sector Wednesday, Fox reported. Three Chinese migrants — who each paid human smugglers $35,000 — were caught in Texas last week.

A source from the Department of Homeland Security told Fox News that Chinese nationals are typically processed for expedited removal unless they have a credible fear of persecution if returned to China.

Those seeking asylum are released into the US on their own recognizance and with a notice to appear for a court date for their immigration hearings.

Migrants approach the border wall in Ciudad Juarez. Mexico on Dec. 21, 2022. AP

Since President Biden took office in January 2021, a record number of illegal immigrants have poured into the US.

The DHS is keeping an eye out for potential spies, the source told Fox, especially after the State Department shot down a Chinese balloon believed to be surveilling the US.