WASHINGTON – This weekend, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), through U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), conducted a removal flight to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) of Chinese nationals. This was the first large charter flight since 2018 and was conducted in close coordination with the National Immigration Administration of the PRC. DHS continues to work with the PRC’s Ministry of Public Security and National Immigration Administration on additional removal flights.
DHS enforces our immigration laws and delivers tough consequences for those who do not have a lawful basis to remain, consistent with international obligations. On June 4, President Biden issued a Proclamation to temporarily suspend the entry of certain noncitizens across the Southern border. As a result, the Border Patrol’s 7-day encounter average has decreased more than 40%, and DHS has operated more than 120 international repatriation flights to more than 20 countries—including this one. A majority of all Southwest Border encounters during the past three fiscal years resulted in a removal, return, or expulsion.
“We will continue to enforce our immigration laws and remove individuals without a legal basis to remain in the United States,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas. “People should not believe the lies of smugglers.”
This removal flight is the result of Secretary Mayorkas’ continued efforts to engage the PRC on areas of mutual interest. Together, the United States and PRC are working to reduce and deter irregular migration and to disrupt illicit human smuggling through expanded law enforcement efforts. DHS regularly engages counterparts throughout the hemisphere and around the world to accept repatriations of nationals without a lawful basis to remain in the United States and take other steps to reduce irregular migration, promote safe, lawful, and orderly pathways, and hold transnational criminal networks accountable for abusing our lawful trade and travel systems and the smuggling and exploitation of vulnerable people. To that end, the United States also welcomes the recent announcement from Ecuador to require visas for passport holders from the PRC given smugglers’ efforts to exploit that route.