In a significant move, the Biden administration's Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has executed a large-scale deportation of Chinese nationals, marking the first such operation in six years.
The flight, conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), comes in the wake of a dramatic increase in illegal Chinese immigrants crossing the U.S. border. The exact number of deportees was not disclosed by the administration, but the move could signal a shift in the relationship between the U.S. and China, given the latter's historical reluctance to accept deportees.
As reported by the Daily Caller, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas stated, We will continue to enforce our immigration laws and remove individuals without a legal basis to remain in the United States. People should not believe the lies of smugglers. The deportation flight was executed in "close coordination" with China's National Immigration Administration, according to DHS. The Biden administration has expressed its intention to continue collaborating with the Chinese government's Ministry of Public Security and National Immigration Administration on future deportation flights.
The DHS announcement reads, This removal flight is the result of Secretary Mayorkas continued efforts to engage the PRC on areas of mutual interest. Together, the United States and PRC are working to reduce and deter irregular migration and to disrupt illicit human smuggling through expanded law enforcement efforts.
This large-scale deportation comes on the heels of a record-breaking surge in illegal immigration by Chinese nationals at the U.S.-Mexico border. According to the latest data from Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Border Patrol agents have encountered over 57,000 Chinese nationals illegally entering the U.S. during the Biden administration. The issue became particularly prominent in fiscal year 2023, when more than 24,000 Chinese migrants were intercepted by Border Patrol agents, marking a staggering increase of over 1,000% from the 1,987 Chinese migrants encountered in fiscal year 2022.
The situation is further complicated by the Chinese government's general unwillingness to cooperate on accepting deportees. China has been classified as a "recalcitrant" country by the Congressional Research Service, indicating its "uncooperative" stance in accepting its citizens' return in a timely manner. In 2020, China was one of only 14 countries that the U.S. government designated as recalcitrant nations due to their refusal to accept deportees.
The deportation issue has previously been used as a diplomatic tool by China. In 2022, the Chinese government declared that it would not accept any return of its citizens in retaliation for then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan.
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