GOP Reps call for sanctions on China for not taking back record number of illegal immigrants

Republican House members led by Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wisc.) called earlier this week for the Biden administration to hold China accountable for the record number of illegal immigrants entering the United States. 

"The # of illegal Chinese nationals entering the U.S. has spiked almost 1,000%," Tiffany wrote on Twitter. "Why is @SecMayorkas allowing illegals that #CommunistChina will NOT take back into our country? And why is he doing so little to hold China's leaders & elites accountable?" 

According to a letter obtained by the Washington Times, Tiffany and some of his GOP colleagues called for something to be done about the increasing number of migrants from China arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border, though fewer than half of them are coming through the southern border, according to the outlet.

"This is something that the migrants and smugglers no doubt understand and helps explain the premium Chinese migrants are paying to make the dangerous trip," Rep. Tiffany wrote along with three other GOP colleagues.

Tiffany introduced a bill last year that would have punished China financially if the country didn't cooperate with deportations of illegal migrants. 

"For years, Beijing has impeded our ability to send their criminal aliens home — effectively treating our country as a dumping ground for their nationals who break American laws," Mr. Tiffany said in a statement. "It makes no sense to continue granting visas to citizens of Communist China knowing that we may never be able to remove them should they overstay or commit crimes in our communities."

He also noted that under Section 243(d) of immigration law, the Homeland Security secretary has the power to trigger visa sanctions on recalcitrant countries.

ICE data shows that only 137 people were deported to China in fiscal 2022 and 136 were deported in 2021, down from 320 deported in 2020, 637 in 2019 and 726 in 2018, according to the Washington Times.

"Customs and Border Protection recorded more than 18,000 unauthorized entries by Chinese nationals in fiscal 2020, more than 23,000 in 2021 and nearly 28,000 last year. The rate has picked up in fiscal 2023, with January and February recording more than 3,000 per month."

Charlotte Hazard is a reporter for Just the News. Follow her on Twitter for more stories.