The chief of the Border Patrol union has issued a warning about the spike in Chinese military-aged men entering the United States illegally.
The head of the Border Patrol union is warning about the sharp rise in the number of military-aged Chinese men crossing the U.S.–Mexico border illegally, saying that he believes some of them may be spies working on behalf of China’s communist regime to “infiltrate” the United States.
National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd made the remarks during a recent interview on “Just the News, No Noise” TV program, which came as U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released its latest data for January encounters with illegal immigrants who crossed the border into the United States.
“At best, they’re here for a better life,” Mr. Judd said. “At worst, they’re here to be part of the Chinese government to infiltrate our own country.”
Aside from showing that Border Patrol agents encountered a record number of illegal immigrants (242,587) in January 2024 compared to any previous January, the CPB numbers show an alarming trend in the number of military-aged Chinese nationals entering the country illegally.
Border Patrol agents encountered 5,717 single Chinese adults in January, more than twice the number of any other January on record, CBP data shows. In December 2023, that figure rose to a record of 7,581, while the total since January 2023 stands at 64,979.
Some analysts say that deteriorating economic conditions in China, along with human rights abuses and policies such as strict COVID-19 lockdowns, are likely driving the increase.
Interviews with some of the Chinese nationals who entered the United States illegally have said much the same thing, blaming an increasingly repressive political climate and dour economic prospects.
However, Mr. Judd has suggested that for some—possibly even many—there might be a different motivation.
“Why are we seeing this influx?” he said. “At best, they’re just coming here for a better life or a better job. At worst, they’re coming here to be part of the Chinese government, and that’s what scares me an awful lot.
By Tom Ozimek
