US deports over 100 Chinese migrants

Over the weekend, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) deported 116 Chinese migrants, marking its first “large charter flight” since 2018. The deportation is part of ongoing efforts to enforce immigration laws and reduce illegal migration and human smuggling. DHS is collaborating with Chinese authorities on additional removal flights and emphasized consequences for illegal migration amid ongoing political debates of border policies under President Joe Biden.

DHS efforts: “We will continue to enforce our immigration laws and remove individuals without a legal basis to remain in the United States,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement. Efforts are also being made to shut down key migration routes, including a U.S. agreement with Panama to cover repatriation costs for migrants entering Panama illegally and Ecuador reinstating visa requirements for Chinese nationals.
Catch up: The charter flight comes a month after Biden announced a broad asylum ban that temporarily halts asylum requests when weekly border arrests average above 2,500. In 2023, U.S. border authorities apprehended over 37,000 Chinese nationals at the southern border, a tenfold increase compared to the previous year. Since October, the Customs and Border Protection have also encountered over 21,000 Chinese nationals at the southern border, exceeding the number of Mexican nationals.

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