US conducts first large removal flight of Chinese migrants since 2018

The U.S. has conducted its first large removal flight of Chinese migrants since 2018, the Biden administration announced Tuesday.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted the charter flight over the weekend “in close coordination” with Chinese government officials.

The action comes weeks after President Biden announced a crackdown on the border that will limit the number of migrants coming into the U.S. when the daily average of encounters exceeds 2,500 between ports of entry.

The DHS said since this rule was enacted, the department has held “more than 120 international repatriation flights to more than 20 countries,” including the latest one. A majority of all encounters at the southern U.S. border have resulted in removal, return or expulsion, according to the department.

The department said the removal flight is a part of ongoing efforts with China “to reduce and deter irregular migration and to disrupt illicit human smuggling through expanded law enforcement efforts.”

“We will continue to enforce our immigration laws and remove individuals without a legal basis to remain in the United States,” Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement. “People should not believe the lies of smugglers.”

The Associated Press reported in May that China and the U.S. resumed cooperation on the deportation of Chinese migrants who came to the southern border. The Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement to the AP it was “willing to maintain dialogue and cooperation in the area of immigration enforcement with the U.S.”

The news service noted that Mayorkas, during a House committee hearing in April, said he had an “engagement” with his counterpart in China to ensure the country would begin to accept migrant removal flights.

The Associated Press contributed.