The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Friday (January 10) that earlier this week, with the assistance of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), they have conducted the fifth large-scale deportation of Chinese illegal immigrants in less than seven months.
In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security indicated that in the coming months, they will continue to request cooperation from the Chinese authorities to combat human trafficking and deter irregular migration.
The statement also mentioned that since the resumption of deportation flights at the end of June 2024, the number of Chinese citizens encountered by border patrol agents along the U.S. southwestern border has decreased by 62%, from 2,160 individuals in June 2024 to 820 individuals in December 2024.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, authorities are taking strict measures against individuals who enter the United States illegally or without authorization under the U.S. immigration law, including swift deportation of those without valid reasons to stay in the country, while encouraging the use of safe, legal, and orderly immigration pathways.
For many years, cooperation on deporting illegal immigrants has been a complex issue between the United States and China.
In recent years, U.S.-China relations have often been tense, with sharp disagreements on a range of issues including human rights, trade, Taiwan, and technological espionage, making cooperation on illegal immigration matters at times more challenging.
Border crisis is a critical political issue for the United States, and the ability to rapidly deport illegal immigrants is paramount. However, disputes often arise with Beijing on how to reduce irregular migration. In 2020, the United States designated 13 countries, including China, as “recalcitrant countries,” noting their refusal to accept illegal immigrants deported by the U.S.
In the fiscal years 2022 to 2024, the number of Chinese illegal immigrants discovered at the border significantly increased.
In the fiscal year 2022, from October 2021 to September 2022, DHS officials found 2,176 Chinese citizens at the southwestern border. By the fiscal year 2023, this number surged to 24,314 individuals, and in the fiscal year 2024, it further escalated to 38,246 individuals.
This rise has raised concerns among many U.S. lawmakers who believe the continuous increase, especially of working-age Chinese citizens illegally entering, poses a “serious threat” to U.S. national security.
According to DHS officials, the major obstacle to increasing deportation flights to China is bureaucratic hurdles in obtaining identity and travel documents for Chinese illegal immigrants.
Under the leadership of Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, U.S. officials and their Chinese counterparts have reached agreements to expedite the issuance of travel documents and establish a standardized operational procedure applicable to both charter and commercial deportation flights. This has laid the foundation for systematic deportation actions.
As U.S. lawmakers advance stricter immigration laws like the Laken Riley Act, international cooperation on U.S. deportation operations is becoming increasingly crucial.
Once enacted, this act will allow states to sue the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to halt visa issuance to “recalcitrant countries.” The repercussions of such actions could be more severe than the strictest visa sanctions.