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Biden Administration Relaxes Screening for Chinese Immigrants

In a major policy change in April 2023, the Biden administration streamlined the vetting process for Chinese illegal immigrants. This development came to light through an internal email from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), as reported by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The email, sent by a CBP supervisor in April 2023 to about 500 Border Patrol agents, instructed a significant reduction in interview questions for Chinese migrants, cutting them down from roughly 40 to only five. This decision, described as “headquarters guidance,” coincided with a notable increase in illegal border crossings, adding to the challenges faced by border agents.

Retired CBP deputy patrol agent J.J. Carrell, after reviewing the email, raised concerns that this policy shift, while speeding up the processing of Chinese illegal immigrants, potentially compromised national security. Carrell highlighted that this change made it easier for human smuggling operations to coach immigrants on handling the reduced set of questions.

Agents previously spent extensive time vetting each Chinese immigrant, but the new process presented difficulties. According to the CBP email, Chinese illegal immigrants clearing the basic questions could be released within the U.S. with a distant court date, contributing to an immigration court case backlog of over three million by November 2023.

Data showed a significant increase in encounters with Chinese illegal immigrants, with around 35,000 in 2022 and a 1,000% rise in such encounters between 2022 and 2023. Despite the streamlined vetting, concerns remained about releasing individuals with potential connections to the Chinese government or military.

The revised vetting process included five key questions focusing on military service, universities, place of birth/region, employment, and political party affiliation. These questions aimed to identify any links to terrorism or the Chinese government, with a referral to the Tactical Terrorism Response Team for deeper investigation if needed.

Notably, the Department of Homeland Security’s Special Interest Alien list does not currently include Chinese immigrants, raising doubts about the vetting system’s efficacy.

The former law enforcement official who disclosed the email noted that the earlier, more thorough vetting system was already strained due to the surge in southern border crossings. Carrell remarked that under the Trump administration, the process for Chinese illegal immigrants was much more stringent, involving detailed questionnaires and thorough checks for any criminal history.

Carrell explained that previously, Chinese nationals were usually processed for deportation, but under the new policy, they are interviewed, entered into a database, and often released into the U.S.