An unofficial report from U.S. Customs and Border Protection reviewed by Breitbart Texas revealed that nearly 700 migrants from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) were apprehended entering the San Diego region in the third week of April. Since the fiscal year began in October, more than 26,000 migrants from the PRC have been apprehended.
A CBP source, not authorized to speak to the media, told Breitbart Texas the number of Chinese migrants apprehended represents a more than threefold increase from the same time last year. The source told Breitbart that China is now within the top ten nationalities encountered by the Border Patrol along the southern border. The bulk of the Chinese nationals are released into the United States almost immediately the source says as China adamantly refuses to take their citizens back.
“We have only conducted one repatriation flight back to China recently,” the source lamented. “Until that changes, unless we have specific derogatory information about an individual, we are releasing. There’s just no other option.”
The agency remains baffled by the continued increase in Chinese migrant arrivals. Twice as many PRC nationals entered Southern California during the third week of April than the entire 2021 fiscal year when a total of 342 PRC nationals were encountered by the Border Patrol along the entire Southwest border. According to the source, intelligence debriefings yield little information about the migrants and their purpose for entering. The language barrier and the sheer volume of crossings and apprehensions is a major challenge according to the source.
As the incursion of 700 Chinese nationals into Southern California was underway last week, FBI Director Christopher Wray warned national security and intelligence experts on Thursday about the threats posed by China. During his remarks at the Vanderbilt Summit on Modern Conflict and Emerging Threats in Nashville, Wray told the crowd, “The PRC [People’s Republic of China] has made it clear that it considers every sector that makes our society run as fair game in its bid to dominate on the world stage, and that its plan is to land low blows against civilian infrastructure to try to induce panic and break America’s will to resist.”
According to the CBP source, the greatest risk to national security is not knowing fully who the migrants are and what their intentions may be.
“We want to focus on the threats posed by the Government of China and not cast aspersions on all the people of China, but governments are people and at this point,” the source added. “We are in the dark concerning who is a foe and who is a friend.”
Breitbart Texas spoke recently about the increase in Chinese migrant arrivals with Dr. Kenneth Allard, a retired Army Colonel and former Dean of Students at the National War College. As an author of several works including Warheads: Cable News and the Fog of War, a former intelligence officer, and special assistant to the Army Chief of Staff, Allard is also concerned with the lack of intelligence regarding the spike in migrant apprehension of citizens from the People’s Republic of China.
Allard says the fact may be that most of the migrants from the PRC are actually dissidents fleeing poor conditions in China. But as an expert on totalitarian regimes, he believes the current administration lacks the willpower to properly investigate the phenomenon.
“Totalitarian governments like China are great exploiters of opportunity,” Allard told Breitbart Texas. “They recognize weakness and capitalize on it immediately. What we are seeing reflects a deliberate policy choice by the regime.”
When asked about the potential for China to take advantage of the current crisis along the southern border, Allard says the regime most certainly recognizes the weakness President Biden has exhibited on the international stage, adding “Its obvious he is not entirely in control at present. China realizes that as well.”
The travel route for most of the Chinese migrants is costly and arduous according to the CBP source. The journey to the United States in most cases involves traveling from Hong Kong to Turkey and onto Ecuador. Ecuador is a common point along the route as Chinese nationals are not required to possess a visa to enter the Latin American country.
The migrants, according to the source, move through Panama’s Darien Gap before traversing through Central America, into Mexico, and onto the United States’ southern border. As reported by Breitbart Texas, the smuggling fees have been revealed to be as high as $55,000 to reach the U.S./Mexico Border from the People’s Republic of China.
During the first six months of FY24, Border Patrol agents apprehended 24,296 Chinese migrants — an all-time record. This exceeded the total number of Chinese migrants who illegally entered the United States between ports of entry in FY23 (24,125). Of the more than 24,000 Chinese migrants apprehended by Border Patrol this year, 23,890 were arrested in the San Diego Sector. This is up from 10,520 apprehended in this sector in FY23
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.