First appearance on FOXA group of Republican lawmakers has warned the Biden administration about an increase in Chinese nationals crossing the southern border, arguing it validates their “worst fears” about what they see as a weakening of enforcement under the administration.
The 20 lawmakers, led by Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), highlighted “a dramatic increase in encounters with individuals listed in the Terrorist Screening Dataset (TSDS) at our nation’s borders and an unprecedented and inexplicable increase in illegal border crossings by Chinese nationals, primarily adult males.”
“These developments validate our greatest fears: that a weakened border and deliberate underenforcement of immigration laws encourages America’s adversaries to exploit this national security vulnerability,” they said.
Mass apprehensions of illegal immigrants from China, Jordan and Türkiye at southern border
A Chinese migrant is detained by Customs and Border Protection at the U.S.-Mexico border in Jacumba, California, on November 11, 2023. (Nick Utt/Getty Images)
that’s all 3,500 Chinese nationals A Fox News source said last week that he was spotted crossing the southern border illegally in May.
Since 2021, the number of Chinese nationals has increased significantly, with 1,970 encounters in fiscal year 2022, over 24,000 in fiscal year 2023, and more than 24,200 encounters so far this fiscal year.
Meanwhile, of the TSDS subjects, which include terrorists and potential threats, Border Patrol has encountered 80 at ports of entry so far this year, 172 in fiscal year 2023 and 98 in fiscal year 2022.
Republicans argue that an “alarming” system has been exacerbated by the expansion of the CBP One app to allow migrants arriving at ports of entry to make appointments for parole into the U.S. Currently, about 1,500 migrants per day can make appointments for possible parole into the U.S. Lawmakers point to reports showing Mexican cartels have been using private networks to make asylum appointments.
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Chinese migrants talk to a Border Patrol agent after crossing the Rio Grande into the United States. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
“Mexican drug cartels reportedly charge up to $70,000 for smuggling Chinese people, compared with $8,000 to $15,000 for other foreigners. Last year, 86 percent of Chinese people entering the United States were single adults,” he said.
They describe the entry of illegal Chinese immigrants as a “serious national security concern.”
“FBI and Department of Defense investigations have found more than 100 cases of Chinese nationals espionage at U.S. military installations and other sensitive sites of national importance,” they said.
Illegal immigration from abroad hits record high amid national security concerns
“Indeed, the FBI announces the opening of a new China-related counterintelligence investigation every 12 hours,” they say, “but as CBP continues to weaken its vetting process, such as by reducing its list of mandatory questions for Chinese nationals from 40 to five, it will become even more likely that dangerous individuals will go undetected.”
The lawmakers asked a series of questions, including how many Chinese nationals have been found to have ties to the Chinese Communist Party, how many have used CBP One to process their entry into the United States, how many have been deported, and how many have been released to the United States.
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The letter came shortly after President Biden announced new orders limiting asylum for illegal immigrants if the number of immigrants crossing the southern border exceeds certain levels. Republicans dismissed the orders as “too little, too late.”
