1,657 Chinese tried to enter U.S. from Mexico in last 6 months

FPI / March 15, 2020

Since October, authorities have apprehended more than 150,000 illegals attempting to cross into the U.S. from Mexico. That number includes more than 1,600 from China, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

DHS said the number of illegals includes nationals of 72 countries that are currently affected by the coronavirus.

“All it would take is a single infected individual to impact the detained migrant community within DHS facilities,” a senior DHS official told Breitbart News. “Without proper precautions, which can only happen through orderly, lawful migration, the virus threatens to spread rapidly. Any halting of [Remain in Mexico] would exacerbate this threat.”

Of the 1,657 Chinese nationals apprehended at the southern border since October, nearly 350 sought to enter the U.S. illegally within the last few months, including several within the last few days, DHS said.

“We have a unique public health threat posed by individuals arriving unlawfully at the border, where migrants, law enforcement officials, frontline personnel, and the American public are put at risk,” the DHS official said.

DHS data shows that Brazil, where 151 cases of the coronavirus are confirmed, has had about 6,400 of their nationals arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border since October.

Eight Iranian nationals, 12 Italian nationals, 346 Russian nationals, 160 Romanian nationals, 204 Vietnamese, 827 Indian nationals, and 1,045 nationals from Cameroon have also attempted to cross the border into the U.S. since October. Those countries, as of March 13, had a combined coronavirus-infected population of nearly 30,000 and 1,781 deaths.

Mexico now has at least 12 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, and since October, nearly 110,000 Mexican nationals have inundated the southern border. Every confirmed coronavirus case in Mexico involves a person who recently traveled abroad or has been in close contact with a person who recently traveled abroad.

Free Press International