WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday that it sent 116 Chinese migrants from the United States back home in the first “large charter flight” in five years.
The flight, which happened over the weekend, comes as Chinese immigration has become the subject of intense political debate in the upcoming U.S. presidential election.
“We will continue to enforce our immigration laws and remove individuals without a legal basis to remain in the United States,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement.
The department said it was working with China to “reduce and deter irregular migration and to disrupt illicit human smuggling through expanded law enforcement efforts.” It did not respond to questions about how long the migrants had been in the U.S.
In recent years, the United States has had a difficult time returning Chinese nationals who do not have the right to stay in America because China has resisted taking them back. Last year, the United States saw a drastic surge in the number of Chinese immigrants entering the country illegally from Mexico.
U.S. border officials arrested more than 37,000 Chinese nationals on the southern border in 2023, 10 times the number during the previous year.
Chinese migration has increasingly become a rallying cry for Republicans and former President Donald Trump who have raised suspicions about why Chinese migrants are coming to the U.S.
Asian advocacy organizations are concerned that the rhetoric could encourage harassment of Asians, while migrants themselves have said they’re coming to escape poverty and repression.
Earlier this year, the U.S. and China resumed cooperation on migration issues.
The Chinese government has said it is firmly opposed to “all forms of illegal immigration.” In a statement in May, China’s Embassy in the U.S. said the country’s law enforcement was cracking down “hard on crimes that harm the tranquility of national border, and maintained a high pressure against all kinds of smuggling organizations and offenders.”
Homeland Security said they are working with China on more removal flights in the future but did not give a timeline for when the next one would happen.
Earlier this year, a charter flight carried a small but unknown number of deportees to the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang, according to Thomas Cartwright of Witness at the Border, an advocacy group that tracks deportation flights.
Homeland Security officials did not say how many people were on that March 30 flight, but the Gulfstream V aircraft typically has a seating capacity of 14. It also made a stop in South Korea before heading back to the U.S., Cartwright said.
The announcement of the large charter flight comes after Ecuador cut off a key route used by Chinese migrants to get to the Western Hemisphere. Ecuador was one of only two mainland countries in the Americas to offer visa-free entry to Chinese nationals and had become a popular starting point for Chinese migrants to then trek north to the U.S.
As of July 1, Ecuador has effectively reinstated visas for Chinese nationals after the South American country said it had seen a worrying increase in irregular migration.
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Rephrased content:
The Department of Homeland Security revealed that they repatriated 116 Chinese migrants back to China in a significant charter flight, marking the first substantial deportation of its kind in five years. The deportation flight, which occurred over the past weekend, coincides with the heightened political debates surrounding Chinese immigration ahead of the upcoming U.S. presidential election. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas affirmed the department’s commitment to upholding immigration laws by removing individuals lacking legal grounds to stay in the United States.
Homeland Security disclosed that they are collaborating with Chinese authorities to curb irregular migration and combat illicit human trafficking through enhanced law enforcement efforts. The department, however, did not address inquiries regarding the duration the migrants resided in the U.S. Previously, the U.S. faced challenges in repatriating Chinese nationals who were unlawfully present due to China’s reluctance to accept their return. Last year, the U.S. witnessed a significant surge in Chinese immigrants unlawfully entering the country through Mexico, with over 37,000 Chinese nationals apprehended at the southern border in 2023, a tenfold increase from the previous year.
The influx of Chinese migrants has increasingly become a talking point for Republicans and former President Donald Trump, who have expressed concerns about the reasons driving Chinese migrants to the U.S. Asian advocacy groups fear that such rhetoric may fuel discrimination against Asians, while migrants themselves claim they are fleeing poverty and oppression. Earlier this year, the U.S. and China resumed cooperation on migration challenges.
In May, the Chinese government reiterated its firm stance against all forms of illegal immigration. The Chinese Embassy in the U.S. emphasized China’s robust law enforcement actions against crimes affecting national border security and ongoing efforts to combat smuggling activities. Homeland Security hinted at future collaboration with China on additional deportation flights but did not provide a specific timeline for the next operation.
In a separate incident earlier this year, a deportation flight transported an undisclosed number of individuals to Shenyang, China. Though the exact count was undisclosed, the Gulfstream V aircraft typically accommodates 14 passengers and made a stop in South Korea before returning to the U.S. The decision to conduct the larger charter flight follows Ecuador’s decision to block a crucial migration route used by Chinese migrants to reach the Western Hemisphere. Ecuador, previously offering visa-free entry to Chinese nationals, reinstated visa requirements, citing a concerning rise in irregular migration as the reason for the policy change.
