More than 100 Chinese nationals who were in the U.S. illegally were flown back to their home country by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently.
In a press release that the agency issued on Tuesday, officials said that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement “conducted a removal flight” that had Chinese nationals on board last weekend. The Associated Press reported that there were 116 Chinese nationals on board that flight.
According to the DHS, the flight was the largest such charter flight it had run since back in 2018. While the statement didn’t disclose any details about the Chinese nationals who were aboard the flight, it did make reference to efforts to “reduce and deter irregular migration and to disrupt illicit human smuggling.”
As the agency added:
“DHS continues to work with the PRC’s Ministry of Public Security and National Immigration Administration on additional removal flights.”
Over the last few years, the number of Border Patrol encounters with Chinese nationals at the southern border with Mexico has skyrocketed. In 2023 alone, border officials arrested in excess of 37,000 Chinese immigrants.
Since back in 2021, the total number of encounters with Chinese migrants has increased by more than 6,000%.
In the press release, DHS promised that it would deliver “tough consequences” to all illegal immigrants. The agency also referenced different measures that the White House has taken to try to curb illegal immigrants, even though many people have been highly critical of the job that President Joe Biden’s administration has done in this regard.
The flight came from the result of the “continued efforts” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has taken “to engage the [People’s Republic of China] on areas of mutual interest,” DHS said.
As the statement reads:
“DHS regularly engages counterparts throughout the hemisphere and around the world to accept repatriations of nationals without a lawful basis to remain in the United States and take other steps to reduce irregular migration, promote safe, lawful and orderly pathways, and hold transnational criminal networks accountable for abusing our lawful trade and travel systems and the smuggling and exploitation of vulnerable people.
“To that end, the United States also welcomes the recent announcement from Ecuador to require visas for passport holders from the PRC given smugglers’ efforts to exploit that route.”
The Biden administration has really been stepping up its efforts to combat illegal immigration in recent months. Yet, many people are seeing these efforts as too-little, too-late.
In fact, many political pundits are surmising that Biden is initiating some of these “tough” restrictions and responses to illegal immigration now only because he’s trying to receive a boost to his image and reputation as the November election draws nearer.
Unfortunately for him, the problem of illegal immigration has gotten so bad during his tenure in the White House that a few strong actions against it now, in the 11th hour, may not be enough to boost him up.
