Only 288 Chinese citizens were deported from the United States during the 2023 fiscal year despite border authorities encountering more than 24,000 in the same time frame – according to a December report – as concerns have increased over a sudden influx of Chinese migrants at a key border sector. 

More than 21,000 Chinese citizens have already been apprehended in the Border Patrol’s San Diego Sector alone during the 2024 fiscal year.

A New York Times report last year revealed there were more than 100,000 Chinese nationals in the U.S. with final orders of removal that had not been deported. 

The low number of removals highlights the difficulty of deporting Chinese citizens to their home country. China has generally been uncooperative, sometimes refusing to accept its citizens back. 

The influx has raised concerns from lawmakers and border authorities because of China’s espionage efforts as well as being an adversary of the U.S.

“That is a very scary prospect. We know that China does not like us, we know that we are in the crosshairs of China,” Brandon Judd, the president of the National Border Patrol Council, told Fox News last week.

In its fiscal year 2023 report, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) noted that there were 44 deportations to Afghanistan, despite the country being ruled by the Taliban, six to Syria, two to North Korea and 18 to Iran. 

That year, only 834 Venezuelans were deported despite 335,000 Venezuelan citizens were encountered by border authorities. Just over 201,000 of them were apprehended by Border Patrol agents after crossing illegally into the U.S. The rest were encountered at ports of entry, which would include CBP One app paroles into the U.S.

Chinese Migrants attempting to cross in to the U.S. from Mexico are detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the border November 11, 2023, in Jacumba, California.  (Nick Ut/Getty Images)

Like China, Venezuela has been uncooperative with respect to taking back its citizens. In September, President Biden redesignated Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans who arrived before July 31, 2023 – shielding around 470,000 of them from deportation.

At the time, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said it was unsafe for many to return to the South American nation. There were 242,700 Venezuelans eligible under the existing TPS rule while another 472,000 were possibly eligible. 

Overall, more than 140,000 illegal immigrants have been encountered in the San Diego sector since October.