The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of the United States announced on Tuesday, October 15, that a group of Chinese immigrants were repatriated to China via a charter flight. This marks the second charter repatriation of Chinese immigrants this year.
In a statement released by DHS on Thursday, October 17, the exact number of individuals being repatriated was not specified. The statement mentioned that on October 15, DHS conducted the second charter repatriation of Chinese citizens this year through the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The first large-scale charter repatriation occurred in June, which was carried out in close coordination with the Chinese National Immigration Administration and was the largest operation of its kind since 2018.
The statement also indicated that this week’s charter repatriation demonstrates DHS’s ongoing commitment to cooperating with China and other international partners to reduce and prevent irregular migration.
“DHS continues to enforce U.S. immigration laws, holding illegal entrants accountable for their actions. This includes swiftly repatriating those without legal basis to remain in the U.S. while encouraging the use of legal pathways,” said DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
Since President Biden’s proclamation on June 4 temporarily suspending certain non-citizens from crossing the southern border into the U.S., DHS reported a reduction of over 55% in the number of non-citizen border encounters. As of the end of August, DHS had conducted over 398 international repatriation flights to more than 140 countries, including the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
“People with intentions of immigration should not believe the lies of human traffickers. Chinese citizens without legal standing to remain in the U.S. will be promptly repatriated,” Mayorkas emphasized. “DHS will continue to enhance the consequences faced by individuals entering our country illegally and uphold our nation’s laws.”
The statement further mentioned that over the past year, DHS has conducted personnel repatriations to multiple countries globally, including Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Egypt, Mauritania, Senegal, Uzbekistan, India, and China. Through these efforts, DHS repatriated or returned more individuals in the 2024 fiscal year than in any year since 2010.
“The work of expanding repatriation flights continues,” DHS stated.
In recent years, due to the worsening U.S.-China relations and various challenges faced by individuals in China, such as economic uncertainties and restrictions imposed during the pandemic, there has been an increase in the number of Chinese citizens attempting to enter the U.S. illegally via the southern border.
Many of the Chinese individuals choosing to migrate to the U.S. are from the middle class. For the Chinese middle class, options for immigrating to the U.S. are limited. While wealthier individuals may opt for investment migration, those without significant means struggle to acquire U.S. visas. In 2022, the refusal rate for Chinese citizens applying for U.S. tourist and business visas was 27%, higher than before the pandemic. Therefore, some middle-class individuals choose to enter the U.S. illegally.
Data from the Pew Research Center indicates that in 2022, approximately 90,000 Chinese citizens entered the U.S., making China the third-largest immigrant source country after Mexico and India.
According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, since October 2023, over 73,700 Chinese citizens have been arrested in the U.S., with half of these cases occurring at the southern border.