A series of Chinese national apprehensions along the Southwest border have brought into question whether illegal immigration into the United States is still mostly arriving from Latin American countries.<\/p>\n
Recently<\/a>, the U.S. Border Patrol apprehended two Chinese nationals in the El Centro Sector in California after the two individuals were seen flying in an ultralight aircraft from Mexico into the U.S. The individuals attempted to fly undetected into a remote desert of California in the early hours of the morning, but thanks to surveillance, the Border Patrol was able to apprehend the individuals as soon as they landed onto U.S. soil.<\/p>\n While an isolated incident, attempts of Chinese illegal immigration into the country is not unprecedented. Less than a month ago, three<\/a> Chinese nationals maneuvered a panga-style boat from northern Mexico onto a Southern California beach, where they ran from the shore onto public streets before being apprehended by authorities.<\/p>\n Throughout the last few months, President Trump has been heavily scrutinized for suggesting that individuals crossing the Southwest border are from other countries outside of Latin America, but the reality is more foreign nationals from distant countries are aiming to enter the country illegally as the administration begins to curb legal immigration numbers.<\/p>\n The permeable Southwest border simply invites Chinese nationals and other foreign individuals from near and far to enter the country illegally. As we have learned on 9\/11, it only takes a small number of people to cause horrific and irreversible damage to a nation. The 9\/11 terrorists did not sneak across the border, but they exploited a vulnerability with catastrophic consequences.<\/p>\n As a whole, Chinese national apprehensions along the Southwest border are still relatively low in comparison to Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries (Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador). Yet, interestingly enough, Chinese figures for FY 2017<\/a> are still more than the figures combined for Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia.<\/p>\n