This article was originally published by Bloomberg, December 18, 2023
Author:shawn donnan
Photography and **:nicoló filippo rosso
himThey illegally crossed the U.S. border in search of a better life. They arrive several times a day, dozens of people at a time, and are part of a wave of illegal immigrants in the United States.
They stand out not only because they are Asian, but also because they appear more affluent and are not adapted to desert conditions, especially when night falls and the cold hits.
Temporary migrant camp near Border Boulevard. After crossing the border, many spent several days in the desert before being detained by the US authorities.
Chinese migrants walk towards a U.S. Customs and Border Protection vehicle near Border Boulevard.
Chinese migrants follow a U.S. Customs and Border Protection car and walk along Border Drive.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent escorts Chinese migrants into a van where they will be taken to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for further processing.
A gap in the U.S.-Mexico border fence near Border Boulevard.
Chinese immigrants wait for registration and processing near Jekuba Hot Springs at the U.S.-Mexico border wall on Nov. 15, 2023.
Duration: 00:11
Chinese immigrants set up a makeshift shelter in the desert near Jekuba Hot Springs and lit a campfire to cook. Local volunteers will provide them with some food and water. 
Chinese migrants light a fire on the side of the road to keep warm on November 26, 2023, as they wait for U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel to process it. They may spend days in the desert, where the nights are very cold and the temperature drops below zero degrees Celsius.
Temporary migrant tents in the desert.
A piece of cloth on a branch shows traces of immigrants who traveled through the boulevard desert in the past.
Chinese immigrants used palm trees to make fires in the desert to keep warm against the cold winds at night.
They are part of a growing middle class leaving China, including entrepreneurs with declining businesses, middle-aged fathers who have lost their jobs due to the slump in the real estate industry, and young software engineers who aspire to succeed in Silicon Valley.
I want freedom and a better life. Lily, a young woman, who asked not to be named, told a photographer from Bloomberg who documented migrants at an intersection near Jekuba Hot Springs, a California desert outpost.
The 30-year-old travelled from China to Dubai, Turkey, Panama and Mexico, and finally to the United States. "I hope to have a better life here. She said. The picture on the left is a close-up of her hand with a ribbon tied around her wrist that reads "The best is yet to come";The picture on the right shows Jiajia sitting on a rock on the border.
Ashur of 30 traveled through nine countries before arriving in the United States. He used to run a tea shop in China and hoped to find a similar job in the United States. "I miss my family. Ah Xiu said.
Lily, 33, traveled to the United States via Turkey, Colombia and Mexico in search of "freedom and a better life."
A Chinese migrant crosses the border into the United States near Jekuba Hot Springs, California, on November 8, 2023.
Chinese immigrants present their passports to U.S. Customs and Border Protection staff.
A Chinese passport was left near a border crossing on Boulevard, and its pages were torn up.
Chinese immigrants to the United States have a long and challenging history. As early as the 19th century, Chinese laborers were recruited to build railroads in the United States and faced discrimination. In 1882, Chester A. Arthur, then the American **Arthur) signed the Chinese Exclusion Act, the first U.S. law restricting immigration, and immigration to China was severely restricted. After that, the obstacles created by the Chinese Exclusion Act persisted for another 80 years in various forms, one of the greatest injustices in American history.
Today, the United States and China are rivals on the global stage, but in the desert on the border between California and Mexico, a very human story is unfolding.
The number of people crossing the U.S. border with Chinese passports without proper documentation has more than doubled in recent years, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In the past 14 months, nearly 60,000 Chinese immigrants have been detained for illegally crossing the border, nearly a quarter of them in California.
In comparison, the U.S. issued only 24,603 immigrant visas to Chinese nationals during the same period, according to U.S.*** data. Since the pandemic, as the U.S. visa system has been experiencing prolonged delays, an increasingly sophisticated alternative to illegal border crossings has emerged, which has spread widely on social media.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection declined to comment on the specific measures it has taken to respond to the influx of Chinese migrants. In a statement, the agency said it was seeking additional resources from Congress and complying with U.S. law. "Individuals encountered at the border are screened and vetted, and those who have no basis for legal presence will be expelled," a spokesperson said. ”
In response to a question about Chinese citizens entering the United States illegally, Beijing said it was "highly concerned" about the situation. "China's position on the issue of illegal immigration is consistent and clear," the statement said, "China opposes and resolutely cracks down on any form of illegal immigration, and is willing to actively carry out international cooperation in this regard." ”
Chinese immigrants protect themselves for fear of being recognized at home. (The image has been modified to obscure passport information due to privacy and security concerns.) ）
Two Chinese immigrants were handcuffed together after registering with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and awaiting being sent to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Wang Heng, 26, a confident and thoughtful college graduate, arrived in the United States just after Thanksgiving 2023 through a metal border wall and a gap left at the end of a rock formation. Soon, he found himself available as a translator for Border Patrol agents, helping guide newcomers through line, putting away his phone, and storing money and other items in his bag.
Wang Heng told his story of "disillusionment". He graduated from college in 2019 and spent four years working in a range of software jobs at gaming and investment firms. Along the way, he fell in love with Japan and the West** and began to question his life. "I don't want to be a caged bird, I want to leave Truman's world. The king said. "So I left China. ”
Wang Heng's journey took him through Japan, Ecuador, and then through Central America to Mexico, a trip he recorded with his camera. Mr. Wang said he and a group of Chinese compatriots had spent nearly three days trekking through the rainforest to Panama, where they had been robbed.
On the day he entered the United States, Wang Heng was taken to the border by smugglers, who paid $5,000 for an "all-inclusive service."
After submitting his asylum application, Wang Heng plans to settle in Los Angeles and earn money from freelancing. His ultimate goal is to go north to Silicon Valley and get a tech job, but he also wants to study Japanese literature at a community college.
On November 27, 2023, Wang Heng arrived near the avenue and talked with the staff. After visiting the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services**, he considers himself eligible to enter the United States.
Wang Heng arrived in Japan from China on October 24, 2023. Flying from Tokyo to Quito, stopping at Doha and Madrid, it arrived in Ecuador on October 28 and then crossed the dangerous Darién Gorge into Panama with eleven other migrants. He decided to document his journey so that he would be able to remember the experience when he grew up. The picture on the left shows Wang Heng taking a picture of himself holding a drink box in front of the iconic orange-red Tokyo Tower. The picture on the right shows Wang Heng's fountain in Quito, Ecuador.
Other Chinese immigrants who arrived around the same time as Wang Heng shared similar stories.
Lao Zhou, a native from Fujian who only wants to give his surname, said that he lost his small factory due to policies and the epidemic, and he came to the United States to support his family. "It's not easy to make a lot of money in China," Mr. Zhou said, "and no one knew it could get so bad." ”
Ms. Lin, 38, who used to work in the beauty industry in China, said: "It was a very difficult trip for me, which I will never forget, but I also grew a lot. "I want to change my lifestyle and maybe become a baker. ”
Mr. Huang, a 42-year-old former real estate worker in China, said he was a "refugee" from the collapse of China's real estate sector and that his family now relies on credit cards to make ends meet. "There was no way out," he said, "and I had to pay for my family's daily expenses, so I came to the United States." ”
Miss Lim, a 38-year-old beautician, covered her face with a cloth so that she could not be recognized.
42-year-old Huang Guodeng. He is a refugee from the collapse of China's real estate industry, where he used to work. His family now relies on credit cards to make ends meet.
Mr. Lee arrived in the United States via Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, and Mexico.
Liu Xianda, a 29-year-old chef, was attracted to the United States because of his belief in freedom of speech.
Sam Schultz, a retired rescue worker from Boulder Park, California, who volunteers to provide food and assistance to immigrants, is a frequent member of the neighborhood of Jacuba Springs in eastern San Diego County. One of the most striking things about the Chinese immigrants he met, he said, was that they all seemed to be wealthy, planned middle class.
Everyone I spoke to had a job waiting for him. Schultz said. Affluent people tell him that they combine a trip to the United States with a vacation in Cancun, all following a path common on Chinese social apps. "They call it 'playing by the rules'. Schultz said.
For all newcomers, the bigger goal is clear: a new life, and perhaps a new life for their families, as well.
What I look forward to most is equality and individual freedom," Wang said, "and I don't want my children to go through what I've been through." ”■