Border Patrol Sees Increase in Chinese Illegals Entering US

The Border Patrol has seen an increase in Chinese nationals arriving at the United States' border with Mexico, according to government figures.

The Los Angeles Times cites U.S. Customs and Border Protection data that shows 663 Chinese nationals were apprehended in San Diego over the first eight months of the current fiscal year. That's significantly more than the 48 who were caught in fiscal year 2015, five in 2014, and eight in 2013.

"We just weren't getting [Chinese nationals]," Border Patrol spokesperson Wendi Lee told the Times, alluding to pre-2013.

The rise, according to the report cited by the Times, could be due to highly educated Chinese nationals looking for well-paying jobs in the U.S. The journey from China via smugglers, however, is expensive.


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