An illegal immigrant from China was arrested after entering the largest Marine Corps base in the country without authorization and refusing to leave.
A Chinese national confirmed to be an illegal immigrant was arrested last week after sneaking onto a military base in California and ignoring orders to leave, according to an official from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
CBP’s El Centro Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gregory Bovino said in a March 29 post on social media platform X that agents were called out to a Marine Corps base about a Chinese national who entered the facility without authorization and failed to respond to orders to leave.
“Subject was confirmed to be in the country illegally,” Mr. Bovino wrote, noting that his purpose in entering the base remains under investigation.
U.S. Marine Corps didn’t respond by press time to The Epoch Times’ requests for more details on the incident.
However, The Epoch Times has learned on background from CBP sources that the Chinese national tried to enter the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California, without authorization. Border Patrol agents were called to the scene and took the individual into custody, transporting him to a nearby station for further processing.
The facility, also known as Twentynine Palms, is the largest U.S. Marine Corps base in the country.
The latest breach comes amid numerous instances of Chinese nationals infiltrating U.S. military bases over the past several years.
For instance, two Chinese nationals were arrested for illegally entering and taking photos at a U.S. Navy base in Florida in 2020, and a recent report by The Wall Street Journal estimates that there have been more than 100 similar incidents over the past few years.
The head of the Border Patrol union recently warned about a sharp rise in the number of military-aged Chinese men crossing the U.S.–Mexico border illegally, which dovetails with CBP data.
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