In response to President Donald Trump’s threats, China has agreed to accept the return of undocumented Chinese citizens living in the United States. The pledge came after Trump warned Colombia of imposing tariffs up to 50% for refusing to take back deported migrants.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning confirmed the decision, stating that China would accept migrants who are verified as Chinese nationals. She emphasized that the Chinese government opposes illegal migration in any form. This marks a significant move as China had not accepted such deportations since 2018, largely due to COVID-19 restrictions that had closed its borders.
According to the U.S. government, there were approximately 210,000 undocumented Chinese migrants in the United States in 2022, including those from Hong Kong and Macau. This number is likely higher now, as many Chinese passport holders have entered the U.S. illegally after the pandemic ended.
In 2024, China accepted four planeloads of undocumented migrants from the U.S., a notable shift from previous years. Before that, there had been a long pause in repatriation flights, partly due to China’s strict COVID-19 border controls.
Trump’s approach to China has softened since returning to office. While he previously warned of tariffs as high as 60% on China, he now focuses more on fentanyl-related issues, threatening a 10% tariff if Beijing does not curb the flow of fentanyl into the U.S.