Fact Check: Is China running secret migrant pipeline into US?

WASHINGTON, DC: Amid growing concerns over illegal immigration and border security, a new claim has sparked debate online after former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem alleged that a highly organized network is helping Chinese nationals enter the United States.

Noem argued that the recent surge in Chinese migrants arriving at the southern border is not the result of isolated migration decisions but part of a coordinated operation involving established transit routes and support systems. The claim has fueled speculation about the existence of a secret migrant pipeline into the US. Let's fact check the claim.

Claim: Kristi Noem says organized networks are helping Chinese nationals enter US

Speaking on FOX Business' Mornings with Maria, Kristi Noem, who currently serves as Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas, detailed intelligence that she said showed how organized networks help Chinese nationals reach the United States.

“We saw very coordinated attacks of people coming into this country from China," Noem said. "Countries that I have worked with in Latin and South America have told us how they had Chinese operations set up for people to fly into their countries, almost like a travel agency would be."

She further alleged that these operations provided migrants with documents and transportation. "They would show up, be handed certain documents, a backpack, get on a bus and then bus straight up over our southern border," Noem said. She added, "And overwhelmingly, the testimonies have been that they were the same-aged individuals, young, mainly men, some females, but very much a coordinated attempt to get individuals into our country, to change our country."

Republicans have raised concerns for years about the growing number of Chinese nationals crossing the southern border. Reports indicate that US authorities have recorded more than 22,000 encounters involving Chinese nationals since late 2023. 

She also argued that China poses a broader long-term challenge to the United States. "And remember, China has a thousand-year plan to destroy the United States. They don't just build up their military. They don't just manipulate their currency, harm us with trade practices," she said. "They have a plan to kill our country from the inside by killing off our next generation of Americans. They will use every tool that they have."

Fact Check: Misleading

Based on the available evidence, the claim is misleading. The increase in Chinese migrants crossing the US border is real, and organized smuggling networks that help migrants travel through Latin America also exist. However, there is no evidence that these networks operate under the direction of the Chinese government, which is the central part of Noem's claim.

In fact, Noem acknowledged during the same interview that officials had not "necessarily" found direct links to the Chinese government. She did not provide evidence showing that Beijing controls or coordinates these operations.

"They have facilitated that," Noem said. "I wouldn't say, necessarily, we found ties to it officially, right to the government, but absolutely, Chinese businesses, those tied to the CCP, those individuals working with the cartels to make sure that the product gets into the United States."

Government data supports part of her argument. US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recorded a sharp rise in encounters with Chinese nationals at the southern border, increasing from 689 in 2021 to about 37,000 in 2023. This confirms that migration from China has grown significantly in recent years.

 Research has also found that Chinese-run businesses in countries such as Ecuador help migrants with transportation, lodging, and travel arrangements, making Noem's comparison to a "travel agency" partly accurate. However, experts describe these operations as commercial smuggling networks that profit from migration, not as a Chinese government program designed to send people into the United States.

Independent researchers and fact-checkers have found no evidence that the surge in Chinese migrants stems from a directive issued by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). They also note that the fact that many migrants are young adults does not prove a coordinated government operation, as most migrants from many countries tend to be of working age.

While Noem said she had received intelligence supporting her concerns, she did not publicly present that intelligence, and no independent reporting has verified the existence of a Chinese government-directed migration pipeline. Similarly, her claim that China has a "thousand-year plan" to destroy the United States reflects her opinion rather than a documented intelligence finding available in public records.

In short, the migration surge is real and organized smuggling networks exist, but the evidence does not support the claim that the Chinese government is directing those networks as part of a strategy to weaken the United States.