The Surge of Chinese Migrants Is a New and Serious Threat at the Border

April 14, 2023

By William Davis

For years now, the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border has been escalating thanks to the malfeasance of the Biden Administration. Now, adversaries outside the Western hemisphere are exploiting Biden’s weakness at the border in ways that could have dire consequences for America in the years to come. 

Thousands of Chinese nationals have crossed the border illegally over the past few months and many more are on their way, according to a report last month from Axios. The number of Chinese who crossed the border during the first three months of 2023 is more than double the number who crossed in all of 2022. 

Just like those who show up at our border from other countries, some of these Chinese citizens may be legitimately seeking refuge from persecution. However, given China‘s aggressive moves against U.S. interests on numerous fronts, the threat that some of these migrants could pose to the United States cannot be dismissed. China’s regime under Communist Party leader Xi Jinping is repressive, and has only become worse in recent years. The brutal COVID-19 lockdowns in the country has led many Chinese nationals to flee. There is no doubt that the hardship many of them face is tragic, but that alone does not explain this massive surge of Chinese citizens showing up at the U.S. border.

“If you can get to our southern border, you have pretty good shot at getting in, and it has changed the demographics,” he commented.

Gonzales’ point about the changing demographics of aliens coming to the U.S. border is important. When most people think of illegal immigration, they think of migrants from Latin American countries flooding the U.S. border. While that is often the case, aliens from faraway lands have also begun showing up to take advantage of the Biden Administration’s negligence. With the word out about America’s unenforced border, citizens from countries far from our shores have begun showing up at the border in growing numbers. This is not only concerning because it adds to the number of illegal aliens who are already overwhelming our immigration system, but it also raises significant national security concerns.

As a top foreign adversary and competitor to the U.S., China is always looking for an advantage in their quest to surpass the U.S. as the world’s hegemon. Thanks to the Biden Administration’s dereliction of duty at the border, they may have found one.

Because of the porous U.S. border, a record number of Americans have died of fentanyl poisoning in recent years. Most fentanyl is initially developed in China before being transported to Mexico, and ultimately making its way across the southern border, where it has been killing tens of thousands of Americans on a yearly basis. Given China’s role in fueling the fentanyl crisis, anyone trying to enter the United States illegally from China demands a higher level of scrutiny.

In addition to the fentanyl threat, there is also the matter of more traditional national security concerns such as espionage. Given how easy it has become for foreign nationals to enter the U.S. illegally, it is reasonable to be concerned that the Chinese government may exploit these vulnerabilities by embedding spies within the growing number of asylum seekers. We know that China has gone as far to plant spies in Congressional offices in recent years, so why wouldn’t they take advantage of the Biden Administration’s anti-border policies for the same purposes?

China has become the U.S.’s biggest foreign adversary, and opening the floodgates for Chinese citizens to enter the U.S. illegally is the last thing we need added to our worsening immigration problems. To take this threat seriously is not xenophobia, but defending our nation at a time when so many of our leaders are failing to do so.

William J. Davis is a communications associate for the Immigration Reform Law Institute, a public interest law firm working to defend the rights and interests of the American people from the negative effects of mass migration.

Also published at American Liberty News, April 14, 2023.