EXCLUSIVE: 2K Chinese Migrants Encountered at Southwest Border in July

According to a DHS report reviewed by Breitbart Texas, 1,953 migrants from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) were apprehended at the southwest border during the month of July. This brings this year’s total number of PRC nationals apprehended at the border to 35,300.

The unofficial report, provided by a source within Customs and Border Protection, shows that apprehensions of migrants from the communist regime increased over 2023 figures when 24,125 were encountered. According to Customs and Border Protection reports, only six Chinese nationals were arrested at the Southwest border during the first month of the Biden-Harris administration, January 2021. According to the source, the increase in Chinese national crossings defies any explanation agency intelligence officials have been able to conclude through post-arrest debriefs.

More than 80 percent of the migrants from the PRC are single adults. After processing by the Border Patrol, most are released to pursue asylum claims in the United States with almost no exceptions. In July, for the first time since 2018, DHS coordinated a repatriation flight of more than 100 PRC nationals. The source says the solitary flight was merely for show and has done little to stop the entries.

In a statement released at the time, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said, “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 source says the removal of 100 of the more than 35,000 PRC nationals who have arrived since October 2023 speaks for itself. “You figure out who the liar is. If you think this is a deterrent to anyone, think again,” the source told Breitbart Texas.

The total of PRC nationals arriving at the border has dropped from a high of 5,962 in December 2023. That reduction, according to the source, has less to do with actions taken at the border by U.S. authorities and more to do with actions taken in Mexico and other countries at the end of the year. As the election year began, Mexico began harsh enforcement actions at its southern border with Guatemala and other cities between there and the U.S.-Mexico border.

Those actions included severely limiting the number of migrants able to board a freight train route to the United States known as “La Bestia” or the beast. The enforcement actions in Mexico led to a noticeable drop in migrant crossings at the Southwest border.

In July, Ecuador’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs suspended a visa waiver with China. During the Biden-Harris administration, Ecuador was the gateway into South America for PRC nationals. Despite that action, the pace of apprehensions and releases of PRC nationals at the U.S. border continues at nearly 100 per day, according to the source.

The source told Breitbart that intelligence debriefings conducted on the arrestees yield little information about the migrants and their purpose for entering. According to the source, the language barrier has proved to be a challenge.

Breitbart Texas recently spoke to Dr. Kenneth Allard, a retired Army Colonel and former Dean of Students at the National War College, regarding the increase in Chinese nationals entering the United States under the Biden-Harris administration. 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, in fact, 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. They recognize weakness and capitalize on it immediately. What we are seeing reflects a deliberate policy choice by the regime,” Allard explained.

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 President Biden’s weakness on the international stage, adding, “It’s obvious he is not entirely in control at present; China realizes that as well.”

The flow of PRC nationals has been a boon for Mexican Cartels, who are keen to orchestrate the last leg of the PRC migrant’s journey to the United States. As reported by Breitbart, 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.

Several recent arrests may indicate what some of the new arrivals from the PRC may have in mind. In February, Border Patrol agents near Indio, California, encountered five Chinese nationals at an interior Border Patrol immigration checkpoint. Agents found the migrants in possession of numerous stolen gift cards and 23 fraudulent Pennsylvania driver’s licenses. According to the Border Patrol, all five migrants were arrested. Three of the five Chinese nationals were determined to be asylum seekers released by DHS after entering the United States illegally.

In Canton, Texas, two Chinese nationals were arrested by Van Zandt County law enforcement authorities and found to be in possession of more than $250,000 on August 2, 2024. According to a CBS19 report, the suspects, Weijian Chen, 25, and Wenqiang Lin, 46, were released into the United States without bail by CBP after being arrested by the Border Patrol in 2023.  The two men did not claim ownership of the gold and have been charged with money laundering $150,000 and $300,000.

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 X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.