Migrants in line in Jacumba, California. Border authorities are contending with an influx of Chinese migrants in a key border sector. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Fox reported earlier this month that the number of Chinese nationals entering illegally has surged by over 6,300% since fiscal 2021. That report came as 182 Chinese nationals were encountered in a single sector in a single day.
Lawmakers and officials have raised concerns about the migrants' potential ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the movement of fentanyl into the U.S.
"There have been numerous documented instances of Chinese nationals, at the direction of the CCP, engaging in espionage, stealing military and economic secrets," lawmakers, led by Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., said last year.
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Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, which represents all rank-and-file Border Patrol agents nationwide, told Fox News in February the majority of the Chinese border crossers are single adult males of military age.
"That is a very scary prospect. We know that China does not like us. We know that we are in the crosshairs of China," he said. "And they are exporting so many people to our country, and you have to really fear about that."
This week, a bipartisan House report found the Chinese government has given tax rebates and grants to companies that make certain fentanyl and synthetic drug precursors used by drug traffickers as long as they are sold outside of China.
This photo shows a Chinese migrant captured entering a military base March 27, 2024. (Customs and Border Protection)
"Through its actions, as our report has revealed, the Chinese Communist Party is telling us that it wants more fentanyl entering our country," said Rep. Mike Gallagher, the Republican chairman of the special House committee. "It wants the chaos and devastation that has resulted from the epidemic."
Illicit fentanyl is typically created in Mexico using Chinese precursors and then moved across the southern land border.
CHINESE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTED AFTER DRIVING ONTO MILITARY BASE IN CALIFORNIA
Last month, a Chinese illegal immigrant was detained in California after entering a Marine Corps base without authorization and ignoring orders to leave.
The Biden administration has also acknowledged the national security threat from China more broadly in its national threat assessment, although not specifically from migrants, who it says are fully vetted using biographic and biometric information.
Border officials have stressed there will be consequences for those who enter the U.S. illegally, including those from China.
"DHS continues to enforce United States immigration laws, expanding lawful pathways while strengthening enforcement consequences for those who cross our border unlawfully," the agency said in a statement when the Chinese national was arrested at the military base.
"Individuals and families without a legal basis to remain in the U.S. are subject to removal pursuant to Title 8 authorities and are subject to a minimum five-year bar on reapplying for admission and potential criminal prosecution if they subsequently re-enter without authorization."
Fox News has also spoken to Chinese migrants who have said they are just trying to benefit themselves and their families.
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"My English is not very good, and I don't know anyone in the United States," one migrant told Fox last month. "Once I get to the United States, I know I have to start all over again. But I want to live a good life in the future, and I want my children to be educated well. I strive to take root in the United States as soon as possible."
Fox News' Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital, primarily covering immigration and border security.
He can be reached at adam.shaw2@fox.com or on Twitter.
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