Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) raised the alarm over the surge of 18,000 Chinese nationals across America’s southern border during the fiscal year in a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
The letter highlights the “significant threat” to America’s national security posed by the increasing number of Chinese nationals entering the United States.
Since the beginning of this year, over 18,000 Chinese nationals (many with deep ties to the CCP) have illegally crossed our southern border. This is the consequence of Joe Biden’s open border. We are demanding answers. ⬇️ https://t.co/TGrdS0xHQT
— Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) September 20, 2023
“July set the record for nationwide encounters with Chinese nationals with just over 6,100. 94.8 percent of Chinese national encounters in FY23 have been single adults,” the letter reads. “This trend poses a significant threat to our national security and warrants immediate attention and action from the Department of Homeland Security.”
Sen. Marshall’s attempts to reign in the border crisis come as encounters at the border near all-time highs and major cities struggle to manage the influx.
The record-high increases in illegal immigration under the Biden administration have strained major cities like Chicago and New York, which have struggled to house foreign nationals. Chicago passed a measure to provide $51 million in funding to house and feed migrants, while 50 places of worship in New York City are now being used to accommodate foreign nationals.
In the letter, Marshall goes on to note that “it is our understanding that not a single one of these individuals encountered has been detained for any length of time but rather benefitted from this administration’s policy of catch and release. CBP is releasing busloads of these individuals into the U.S. interior.”
“Chinese nationals crossing the border may include individuals who could engage in espionage activities or cyber-attacks against our critical infrastructure, government agencies, or private sector entities,” Sen. Marshall’s letter warns. “There have been numerous documented instances of Chinese nationals, at the direction of the CCP, engaging in espionage, stealing military and economic secrets.”
Marshall goes on to present a list of questions to Mayorkas, including “Has CBP identified any Chinese nationals apprehended at the border who are on the Terrorist Screening Database?” as well as “Has CBP identified any instances of Chinese nationals apprehended at the border being suspected of intending to engage in foreign espionage?”
Estimates have found that illegal immigration costs United States taxpayers approximately $151 billion every year, with a recent report from Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee finding that illegal immigration places significant financial strain on the American medical system.
There’s also been a 1,000% increase in illegal immigration from a number of different countries, including China, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and the Dominican Republic, among others.
The spike has also enabled masses of illegal aliens to settle and buy land within the United States. A recent investigation from The Daily Wire highlighted Colony Ridge, a development north of Houston that has become a hub for thousands of illegal aliens. Many also fear that it has become a strategic center for Mexican cartels.
The letter comes days after Sen. Marshall cosponsored the Secure the Border Act, which would “resume construction on the wall, tighten asylum standards, criminalize visa overstays, increase the number of Border Patrol Agents.”
The legislation would also defund non-governmental organizations that receive taxpayer dollars to “traffic illegal aliens throughout the heartland,” and prohibit the DHS from using the Customs and Border Patrol One Application, which facilitates immigration.
Meanwhile, multiple public opinion surveys indicate that voters disapprove of Biden’s handling of the border. One Fox News poll, which surveyed more than 1,000 registered voters in late June, found that 62% of respondents disapproved of Biden’s handling of the border, while only 35% approve.
Marshall also commented on the human cost of the border crisis, charging that “Joe Biden has allowed the cartels to have operational control of our nation’s border, exploiting every weakness and pushing illicit fentanyl into our communities – killing over 300 Americans a day.” The Senator from Kansas went on to warn “Without secure borders, we cannot ensure our country’s safety.”
Sen. Marshall previously issued a vote of no confidence against DHS Secretary Mayorkas, asserting that he has “failed to fulfill the basic duties of his office and does not have the confidence of the Senate or of the American people to keep the border secure.”
“Sec. Mayorkas is derelict in his duties, and I’d be derelict in mine as a U.S. Senator if I didn’t act. Sec. Mayorkas’ failures have allowed over 400,000 convicted criminal aliens into our country- threatening the safety and security of our nation,” Sen. Marshall stated in April of this year. “We now look to the House to take the next step, and I stand ready for Sec. Mayorkas’ impeachment trial.”