The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has deported a large group of migrants unlawfully present in the United States back to their home country.
Newsweek understands that 131 Chinese nationals were removed on a chartered flight on October 15.
It is the second large chartered removal flight this year to China after over 100 migrants were returned in June.
According to a statement issued by DHS, the flights show the U.S. plans “to reduce and deter irregular migration.”
A scenic view of aircraft flying overhead photographed in Raleigh, North Carolina. It comes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Thursday that it has deported a large group of Chinese migrants from the United States to their home country.
Bruce Bennett/Getty
“Intending migrants should not believe the lies of smugglers; Chinese nationals without a legal basis to remain in the United States are subject to swift removal,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas.
“The Department of Homeland Security will continue to strengthen consequences for individuals unlawfully entering our country and enforce our nation’s laws.”
The first large charter removal flight since 2018 was conducted in June in coordination with China’s National Immigration Administration. 116 Chinese nationals aboard the flight were deported back to China for being in the U.S. illegally in the first large flight of the year.
Since June 4, Border Patrol encounters have dropped by over 55%, and by the end of August, the DHS had conducted more than 398 international repatriation flights to over 140 countries, including China.
It comes after President Joe Biden took sweeping executive action by issuing a proclamation to temporarily suspend the entry of certain noncitizens across the southern border.
Over the last year, DHS has removed undocumented citizens from countries such as Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Egypt, Mauritania, Senegal, Uzbekistan, India, and China.
According to DHS, more illegal migrants were removed or returned in
Fiscal Year 2024 than in any year since Fiscal Year 2010.
The number of Chinese migrants being arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border has increased over the past two years, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data.
CBP data from 2007 through August 2024 showed minimal numbers until 2023 when the number at the southwest border passed 24,000. In 2024, the number reached 36,500.
Many Chinese citizens claim asylum in the U.S. over fears of Chinese President Xi Jinping as well as economic uncertainties.
Stringent COVID-19 measures in China, coupled with bleak economic prospects for many, drove migrants to undertake the journey. However, the Republican-led House Homeland Security Committee
said that this trend cannot persist.
Committee chair Rep. Mark Green, a Tennessee Republican, previously told Newsweek: “The unprecedented number of Chinese nationals now illegally crossing our border is driven by the Biden and Harris policy of mass catch-and-release.”
Carolyn Nash, Asia Advocacy Director at Amnesty International USA, told Newsweek: “Amnesty is concerned with the resumption of deportation flights between the U.S. and China.
“Amnesty International has seen Chinese nationals at the border yelled at, pushed, and cursed at by officers due to anti-Chinese sentiment.
“Significant political and legislative action has encouraged this sentiment, including increased “tough on China” rhetoric.
“People seek refuge when they are denied safety and freedom at home. China’s government has made it unsafe to speak, to protest, or to ask for a living wage. The Chinese people are paying the price of these draconian policies.”
