Chinese Migrants Face Perilous Journey to the United States
SAN DIEGO, November 4.— A surge in Chinese migration to the United States has been observed in recent months, with migrants embarking on a dangerous and often harrowing journey to escape their home country. Deng Guangsen, a 28-year-old Chinese man, is among those who have made the treacherous trip to San Diego from Guangdong province in southern China. After traveling through seven countries by various means, including planes, buses, and on foot, Deng was left in a transit station in San Diego by United States Border Patrol agents. He expressed his exhaustion and feelings of loneliness, stating, “I don’t have a brother or sister. I have no one.”
The wave of Chinese migrants using this new and treacherous route to the United States is aided by social media, which has increased its popularity. Recent statistics show that the Chinese are the fourth most represented nationality to cross the dangerous Darien Gap, following Venezuelans, Ecuadorians, and Haitians. Chinese asylum seekers, as well as observers, claim that they are fleeing an increasingly repressive political environment and bleak economic prospects in China.
This influx of migrants from various parts of the world, including Asians, South Americans, and Africans, has contributed to a significant increase in illegal crossings on the United States-Mexico border. September 2023 marked the second month with the highest number of illegal crossings in history for the United States government’s fiscal year. The COVID-19 pandemic and China’s strict border controls temporarily halted this exodus, but now emigration has resumed amidst a struggling Chinese economy and high youth unemployment rates.
According to the United Nations, China is projected to lose 310,000 people to emigration this year, a significant increase from the 120,000 in 2012. This phenomenon, known as “runxue,” or the study of flight, reflects the desperation and lack of hope many Chinese individuals feel regarding their country’s future. Among the emigrants are a wide range of individuals, from educated professionals to small business owners from well-off families.
Many Chinese migrants who are unable to obtain visas find alternative ways to flee the country and often end up at the United States-Mexico border to seek asylum. Border Patrol agents have made over 22,000 arrests of Chinese nationals crossing the border illegally from Mexico between January and September of this year, a drastic increase compared to the same period in 2022. The majority of these arrests involved single adults.
The popular route for Chinese migrants is through Ecuador, as Chinese citizens do not require a visa to enter the country. They then join Latin American migrants in traveling north through the perilous Darien Gap, crossing several Central American countries and Mexico before reaching the U.S. border. The number of Chinese migrants crossing the Darien Gap has been steadily increasing, with registrations recorded from 913 individuals in January to 2,588 in September.
Short video platforms and messaging apps play a significant role in facilitating this migration, providing migrants with on-the-ground video clips and step-by-step guidance on their journey to the United States. These guides include information on what to pack, where to find guides, how to survive in the jungle, which hotels to stay in, and how much to bribe police in different countries. Translation apps also help migrants navigate Central America, even if they do not speak Spanish or English.
The cost of this journey can range from thousands to tens of thousands of dollars, with many migrants relying on their family savings or online loans to finance their escape. This method of individual migration is a departure from previous group migrations facilitated by smugglers known as “snakeheads.” Migrants like Xi Yan and her daughter Song Siming, who had more financial resources, flew from China to Mexico via Europe and crossed the border into the United States with the help of a local guide.
The journey is not without its challenges, as migrants often face harsh conditions and prolonged stays in border detention centers. Despite these difficulties, many Chinese migrants express relief and freedom upon reaching the United States. Xi Yan, a Chinese writer who fled China after experiencing harassment from state security agents and police, expressed her newfound sense of freedom, stating, “We have freedom…I used to get nervous every time there was a police car. Now I don’t have to worry about that anymore.”
Upon arrival in San Diego, migrants wait for Border Patrol agents to pick them up in a designated area between two border walls or in remote mountain areas. Many immigrants are released with court dates in cities closest to their final destinations, creating a bottleneck in the asylum process that can take years to resolve. Catholic Charities in the Diocese of San Diego provides temporary shelter to migrants, including a significant number of Chinese individuals. However, Chinese visitors have the shortest average stay in shelters, often leaving within a day to reunite with their families in other parts of the country.
The surge in Chinese migration has prompted concerns and further strains the already overwhelmed U.S. immigration system. As more Chinese migrants fill makeshift camps in the California desert, awaiting the opportunity to surrender to U.S. authorities and file asylum claims, the challenges and severity of their journey underscore the desperation and determination driving their decision to leave their home country.