Massive Surge in Chinese Immigrant Encounters at Border.

The number of Chinese migrants apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border has increased significantly over the past two years, prompting concern from some lawmakers over national security and border policy. Data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) indicates that encounters with Chinese migrants at the southwest border surged from less than 24,000 in 2023 to approximately 36,500 in 2024. This trend has drawn attention from the House Homeland Security Committee, led by Republicans, who attribute the rise to the Biden-Harris government’s weak border policies.

Tennessee Republican Mark Green, chairman of the committee, argues the “unprecedented number of Chinese nationals now illegally crossing our border is driven by the Biden and Harris policy of mass catch-and-release.”

“One chief patrol agent told my committee last year that, in his experience, the vast majority of Chinese nationals are coming for ‘work or a better life,’ which is not a valid ground for claiming asylum,” he said. “Yet, the majority are still being released into the interior anyway.”

Border crossings from various nationalities have risen, but those from China stand out, as China is an adversary state that could be using migration flows to undermine the U.S. or even embed spies within the country.