An internal federal intelligence report indicates that U.S. authorities are concerned with a new Chinese migrant route that migrants are using to illegally cross into the United States through Florida.
According to an internal federal intelligence report obtained by The Daily Caller, Chinese migrants are taking boats from the Bahamas to illegally enter the United States through Florida.
The Daily Caller reported that the intelligence report lists gaps in intelligence, including where Chinese migrants are located in the Bahamas, who is coordinating the illegal immigration effort between the Bahamas and the state of Florida, and why Chinese migrants are engaging in “self-smuggle” operations from the Bahamas.
The report indicates five incidents of Chinese migrants attempting to smuggle themselves into the United States from the Bahamas. A recent smuggling attempt reportedly occurred on July 16, involving six Chinese migrants.
“The Chinese purchased a Bahamian registered vessel in GBI and tested the capabilities before leaving and being interdicted in Palm Beach,” the report stated. “All 6 Chinese migrants were repatriated to the Bahamas.”
U.S. officials and experts have expressed concerns regarding the identity of the migrants and the possible dangers they could pose to the national security of the United States..
“When I first saw that the surge in Chinese migrants, that’s the thought that came to my mind that these are either Ministry of State Security agents or Chinese military, who are coming to this country to commit acts of sabotage against the US,” China expert Gordon Chang said.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection data indicates that Florida’s Border Patrol agents have experienced a major increase in illegal Chinese migrant arrests According to the data, Border Patrol agents arrested 27 illegal Chinese migrants from October of 2022 to June of this year, representing a significant increase from 5 total Chinese migrant arrests in the fiscal year of 2022.
According to The Daily Caller, the intelligence report does not indicate how many of the Chinese migrants utilized the smuggling route between the Bahamas and Florida.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection data also reveals that Border Patrol agents caught over 14,000 illegal Chinese migrants at the southern border from October of 2022 to June of this year.
“Right now in China there’s extreme pessimism, especially among people in their 20s about the future of their country, so it’s understandable that they’re leaving and they’re trying to get into the United States,” Chang told The Daily Caller.
