Chinese, Russian illegals pose security risks amid record border crossings, experts warn

Amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and the revelations of Chinese spy balloon incursions on U.S. airspace, illegal border crossers from those nations are arriving in droves and may present further security concerns for the U.S., a group of immigration experts warn.

Border authorities reported 1,915 encounters with Chinese individuals from October through December of 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection data indicates. They encountered 17,298 Russians in the same period.

Former acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Mark Morgan told journalists on Thursday that "w[w]e literally apprehend immigrants from China" before indicating that they would secure release to the U.S. interior without proper vetting.

"Do you think we are getting what their background is before we release them? Of course we're not," he said, the Epoch Times reported.

Morgan was joined at the press conference by former acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Tom Homan and former acting deputy chief of staff for the Department of Homeland Security Lora Ries. Ries serves as director of the Heritage Foundation's Border Security and Immigration Center where Morgan and Homan serve as visiting fellows.

Homan further observed that at least 140 people on the FBI's terrorist watchlist had been apprehended at the border since President Joe Biden took office.

Biden has faced intense scrutiny for his handling of the border. A record 2.4 million migrants entered the U.S. during fiscal year 2022 alone with nearly 4 million doing so since he took office.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.