More than 3,500 Chinese nationals were found crossing the southern border illegally in May, along with hundreds of Jordanians, Turks and Mauritanians, according to a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) source who spoke to Fox News.
The majority (98%) were encountered in the San Diego area, which has emerged as a major border crossing point although the number of people crossing the border has decreased in recent months.
The Tucson, Arizona, area had the highest number of illegal encounters, with over 33,000, while the San Diego area was a close second with over 32,000.
Mayorkas says some migrants are ‘trying to exploit asylum system’ as border crisis remains top political issue
Migrants are processed by U.S. Border Patrol at a new makeshift camp after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in Jacumba Hot Springs, San Diego, California, May 26, 2024. (Photo by Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images)
In the San Diego area, more than 770 Jordanians, 670 Turks and 500 Mauritanians were recorded crossing the border illegally in May, offering a glimpse into the global nature of a U.S. migration crisis that is spreading beyond the Western Hemisphere.
The influx of Jordanian nationals was highlighted last month by the arrest of two Jordanians for attempting to sneak into Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, one of whom had entered the United States illegally in April and was later released on U.S. soil.
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.
Fox News reported that about 118,000 migrants crossed the US illegally and were apprehended by the Border Patrol in May, including more than 6,300 “special interest aliens” from countries that pose national security concerns.
The ongoing crisis at the border threatens to pose a major problem for President Biden’s reelection campaign. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas President Trump recently said some migrants crossing the southern border are “trying to exploit” the US asylum system, his tougher rhetoric as the border crisis remains a top political issue ahead of the November presidential election.
On February 23, 2024, migrants who crossed the Mexican border near Jacumba Hot Springs in San Diego, California, arrive at a makeshift camp. (Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images)
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“The reality is that some people will try to game the system,” Mayorkas said. CBS News“That’s not true for everyone we come across, but there are elements of it and we deal with it accordingly.”
The administration has called for reforms from Congress, including a bipartisan Senate bill, and noted that 720,000 illegal immigrants have been deported or removed since May 2023, more than in every fiscal year since 2011.
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A recent bipartisan border security bill that failed to gain support in the Senate “would have given us more tools to address individuals who are trying to abuse the system,” Mayorkas said in an interview.
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Republicans have criticized the administration’s policies, including rolling back Trump administration policies such as the wall, the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) and increased domestic law enforcement. Republicans have passed a bill in the House of Representatives that would significantly restrict asylum applications and reinstate border wall construction and similar measures. The Senate has yet to consider it.
