Recently, according to a report by the Associated Press on the 9th, Beijing and Washington quietly resumed the “China-US cooperation on the repatriation of illegal immigrants” which was suspended by the Chinese Communist Party in August 2022. Over the past two years, the United States has seen a sudden surge in the number of Chinese refugees illegally entering from Mexico.
In 2023, US border officials apprehended over 37,000 Chinese citizens at the southern border, which was 50 times higher than in 2021. “Coyotes,” illegal Chinese immigrants crossing the border, have become the fastest-growing group in terms of numbers, posing a serious national security threat. The US Department of Homeland Security warned that among the influx of Chinese immigrants, there may be Chinese spies and military personnel from the Chinese Communist Party.
According to the Associated Press on Thursday (May 9th), the Chinese Foreign Ministry stated in a declaration that Beijing is “willing to maintain dialogue and cooperation with the United States in the field of immigration enforcement” and will accept refugees who have confirmed Chinese nationality after being repatriated.
In early April, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas revealed that the US is in discussions with high-level Chinese officials in hopes of reaching a repatriation agreement to accept more Chinese illegal immigrants who are being sent back by the US.
For years, the US had classified China as “recalcitrant” or “uncooperative” on the country list, as the Chinese authorities had refused to accept Chinese illegal immigrants who were sent back by the US.
In a report by the Department of Homeland Security in 2021, Chinese non-cooperation was mentioned, stating, “Beijing’s refusal to cooperate has forced immigrants and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to let hundreds of Chinese citizens enter US communities, many of whom have been convicted of violent crimes, endangering public safety.”
According to Michele Thoren Bond, a former Assistant Secretary of State who was responsible for these issues, “They (the Chinese Communist Party) would directly deny that the person is Chinese.” Bond expressed suspicion, saying, “It is unbelievable for a country like China, which closely monitors and controls its citizens, not to have access to photos of each citizen.”
In August 2022, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced a “countermeasure” to “temporarily suspend China-US cooperation on repatriation of illegal immigrants” in response to then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, formalizing this de facto uncooperative policy.
If a migrant’s home country refuses to accept its citizens, the US cannot forcibly deport these illegal refugees.
The report mentioned that US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell accused the Chinese authorities of taking no action in curbing the outflow of Chinese immigrants. The Chinese authorities, on the other hand, responded by saying they “firmly oppose any form of illegal immigration and crack down severely on all forms of illegal immigration organizations.”
The Associated Press cited Thomas Cartwright from the organization “Witness at the Border,” which tracks repatriation flights, stating that on March 30th, a Gulfstream V jet carrying repatriates landed in Shenyang, a northeastern Chinese city. Cartwright noted that the organization did not find any other repatriation flights to China, but some immigrants may have been deported on commercial flights.
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not provide details about the cooperation, as well as the number of Chinese citizens who have been repatriated or are awaiting repatriation, as requested by the Associated Press.