Former U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has claimed that intelligence gathered by U.S. authorities suggests the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) may be facilitating the illegal migration of Chinese nationals into the United States through a highly organized network operating in Latin America.
Speaking on Fox Business with Maria Bartiromo on June 16, Noem described what she characterized as a coordinated system that assists Chinese migrants from their arrival in Latin America to their eventual journey to the U.S. southern border.
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‘Travel agency’ model
Noem said that during her tenure as Homeland Security secretary, she worked closely with senior officials in several Latin American and South American countries on border security issues. According to information shared by those governments, the CCP had established operational hubs in the region that functioned much like travel agencies for Chinese nationals.
She said Chinese citizens arriving in Latin America were allegedly met by organizers who provided documents, identification materials, and standardized backpacks before arranging transportation north through Central America.
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According to Noem, migrants were then transported on large buses through multiple countries before eventually reaching the U.S.-Mexico border. She described the operation as a comprehensive smuggling network with a high degree of coordination and planning.
Concerns over demographics of migrants
Noem also pointed to what she described as an unusual demographic profile among many Chinese nationals encountered at the border. Based on information gathered by U.S. border enforcement personnel, she said a large share of Chinese migrants entering illegally were young men of similar age, with relatively few women among the group.
She argued that this pattern differs from traditional migration flows and has raised concerns among U.S. national security officials. “This is clearly a deliberate, organized operation,” Noem said. “They are trying to bring specific individuals into the United States in order to fundamentally change America.”
Noem did not provide evidence during the interview directly linking the migrants to the CCP, but she said intelligence assessments and information provided by partner governments pointed to a highly structured operation.
Record levels of illegal migration
Chinese migration at the U.S.-Mexico border has risen sharply in recent years. Data from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) show that encounters with Chinese nationals at the southwest border surged from about 450 in fiscal year 2021 to more than 24,000 in fiscal year 2023, with another major increase in fiscal year 2024.
The surge has prompted renewed calls from Republican lawmakers for stronger border security measures and further investigation into potential national security risks associated with illegal migration from China.
During the interview, Noem also addressed the ongoing fentanyl crisis in the U.S. She noted that U.S. intelligence agencies and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have long identified China as a major source of precursor chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl. According to U.S. authorities, many of these chemicals are shipped to Mexico, where criminal organizations process them into fentanyl before smuggling the drug into the United States.
Noem said the U.S. government has not obtained sufficient legal evidence proving direct involvement by the Chinese government in drug trafficking operations. However, she argued that some Chinese companies and individuals with close ties to the CCP continue to cooperate with Mexican criminal organizations.
“At this point, we do not have the legal proof necessary to show that the Chinese government is directly involved,” Noem said. “But there are individuals and entities connected to the regime that continue to support these criminal networks.”
Chinese illegal immigration, fentanyl trafficking, and broader U.S.-China security concerns have remained central issues in American political debate. U.S. lawmakers have repeatedly argued that the rapid increase in Chinese nationals crossing the border illegally warrants closer scrutiny and stronger enforcement measures.
