The popular television show “60 Minutes” recently aired a segment that captured the dire and alarming situation at the border. Calling it “unprecedented,” the show’s crew captured shocking footage of illegal Chinese immigrants pouring into California through an unofficial crossing point. This gap in the fence, located on private property, allows migrants to enter the country easily, with little to no resistance from authorities.
The crew was taken aback by the organized and routine nature of these crossings, which occurred every 30 minutes. SUVs driven by smugglers would drop off groups of about 20 Chinese migrants who would then walk single-file through the gap in the fence, ducking under a bit of razor wire. This was all happening within 25 feet of an armed Border Patrol agent, who did nothing to stop the illegals from entering the country.
The “60 Minutes” team interviewed some of the Chinese migrants to understand their motivations for risking their lives to enter the U.S. illegally. One 20-year-old college graduate hoped to find work in Los Angeles after making a grueling 40-day journey from China through various countries. Another woman, a 37-year-old child care business owner, was forced to leave China due to harsh COVID-19 lockdowns. Other migrants included a factory worker, a teacher, a banker, and small business owners.
The number of Chinese citizens apprehended while attempting to enter the U.S. illegally has skyrocketed in recent years. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, there were 37,000 Chinese apprehensions in the last fiscal year alone, a staggering 50 times more than just two years ago. One landowner, 75-year-old Jerry Shuster, who immigrated to America legally from Yugoslavia, owns the 17-acre stretch of land where the crossing point is located. Shuster expressed frustration at the lack of action being taken to stop the illegal crossings. He stated that the migrants seem to have no regard for entering someone else’s land and described them as coming through the hole in the fence as if they were entering their own country.
Shuster’s property has become a hot spot for illegal crossings, with an estimated 3,000 migrants traversing his land every week. He recounted an incident where he confronted a group of men cutting down his trees, only to be arrested by local police for firing warning shots after the men surrounded him. The reason these migrants are so confident about making the trip is that they are almost certain they won’t be sent back.
According to a Chinese immigration attorney interviewed by “60 Minutes,” even if the U.S. denies their asylum claim, China will refuse to take them back. The staggering difference in the percentage of Chinese migrants granted asylum compared to other nationalities only further highlights the lack of control and enforcement at the border.
Despite the clear and present danger that this massive influx of illegal immigrants poses to our nation’s security and resources, little is being done to prevent it. “60 Minutes” reached out to Customs and Border Protection, who stated that border agents “don’t have the authority to stop people from coming through gaps like this one and can only arrest them after they’ve entered illegally.”
The agency also mentioned that closing the gap would require funding from Congress. This lack of power and resources for border agents means that they can only process and detain these migrants after they have already crossed the border, essentially welcoming them with open arms.
With 3,000 migrants a day entering through just one small gap in the fence, the situation has now spiraled out of control. The Biden administration’s policies are directly responsible for this crisis, and it will be up to voters in this year’s presidential election to decide whether to continue these destructive policies or demand change.
It’s time for the government to take action before it’s too late, as America simply cannot take in the entire world. And with the possibility that not all of these migrants have good intentions, the situation becomes even more concerning. The time for action is now.