Latest news with #MarkKrikorian
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Immigration expert warns Chinese illegal aliens using Canadian city as gateway to US
An immigration expert says that the flow of Chinese illegal aliens into the United States could largely be supported by the Chinese community in a western Canadian city and that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is likely using known Canadian smuggling routes to sneak operatives into the U.S. As southern border crossings have ground to a virtual halt, the executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, Mark Krikorian, shared his thoughts on the continuing flow of Chinese illegal aliens from the north. "It would be logical if they're trying to come across the northern border instead," he told Fox News Digital. "And there are lots of Chinese people in Vancouver. I mean there's this very large Chinese population, Hong Kong population, etc." Us Northern Border Faces Great Lakes Threat From 'Bad Actors' Pressing Waterfront Weaknesses: Expert Krikorian said the Chinese population in Vancouver is not so much "teeming with spies" as it is a tool that serves as cover for potential Chinese bad actors looking to cross into the U.S. "Whether they're regular criminals or whether they're People's Liberation Army operatives, or who knows what, a Chinese community gives them a medium through which to move where they're not alien," he said. Read On The Fox News App "It's kind of like one of Mao's sayings," Krikorian said. "'The people are like the sea and the revolutionaries are like the fish.' In other words, they use the people as the sea through which [the revolutionaries] swim." Chinese National Smuggled Illegal Immigrants To American Territory As Us Sees Influx From Adversary According to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the number of Chinese nationals caught crossing into the U.S. via the northern border so far in fiscal 2025 is 4,042. The total in fiscal 2024 was 12,414. The fiscal year closes at the end of September, meaning that the U.S. is on pace for fewer crossings by Chinese nationals this year than last. "It would make perfect sense that they (the CCP) would use preexisting Chinese communities and networks as the medium through which they get into Canada and then [it's] kind of a jumping off point to get into the United States," Krikorian said. Krikorian said potential Chinese illegal aliens enter Canada in various ways, including through student visas and tourist visas, which allow them to be in proximity to the U.S. border in the first place. He also said he believes smuggling routes are well known to Chinese officials and that the smuggling is facilitated by local CCP allies. China Expands Influence Near Wealthy Florida Enclave As Migrants From Communist Country Flood Into Us "A lot of them must be hiring smugglers just because if you don't know the ropes, how do you know where to go and who to talk to and what part of the border to sneak across?" he said. "It's harder than it looks." Krikorian said he does not believe there is currently a grand conspiracy to send groups of Chinese spies into the U.S. via the northern border, especially because of the Trump administration's stricter policies on border security. An operation like that, he said, would more likely occur with more relaxed border policies like the ones during the Biden administration and that the CCP is patient and calculated enough to simply wait until America's borders are open again. However, he said it was unfathomable to think that China would give up on exploiting America's border weaknesses or using preexisting smuggling routes they have used in the past. "I think the main thing is just people coming for dishwashing jobs, like regular illegal aliens," he said. "But if there's a flow like that, the People's Liberation Army is not stupid. They're going to salt it with people they're going to want to use in the future, whether it's saboteurs or spies or what have you. "Does anybody think the Chinese Communist Party is stupid enough not to have taken advantage of this opportunity Biden gave them? No."Original article source: Immigration expert warns Chinese illegal aliens using Canadian city as gateway to US
Fox News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Immigration expert warns Chinese illegal aliens using Canadian city as gateway to US
An immigration expert says that the flow of Chinese illegal aliens into the United States could largely be supported by the Chinese community in a western Canadian city and that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is likely using known Canadian smuggling routes to sneak operatives into the U.S. As southern border crossings have ground to a virtual halt, the executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, Mark Krikorian, shared his thoughts on the continuing flow of Chinese illegal aliens from the north. "It would be logical if they're trying to come across the northern border instead," he told Fox News Digital. "And there are lots of Chinese people in Vancouver. I mean there's this very large Chinese population, Hong Kong population, etc." Krikorian said the Chinese population in Vancouver is not so much "teeming with spies" as it is a tool that serves as cover for potential Chinese bad actors looking to cross into the U.S. "Whether they're regular criminals or whether they're People's Liberation Army operatives, or who knows what, a Chinese community gives them a medium through which to move where they're not alien," he said. "It's kind of like one of Mao's sayings," Krikorian said. "'The people are like the sea and the revolutionaries are like the fish.' In other words, they use the people as the sea through which [the revolutionaries] swim." According to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the number of Chinese nationals caught crossing into the U.S. via the northern border so far in fiscal 2025 is 4,042. The total in fiscal 2024 was 12,414. The fiscal year closes at the end of September, meaning that the U.S. is on pace for fewer crossings by Chinese nationals this year than last. "It would make perfect sense that they (the CCP) would use preexisting Chinese communities and networks as the medium through which they get into Canada and then [it's] kind of a jumping off point to get into the United States," Krikorian said. Krikorian said potential Chinese illegal aliens enter Canada in various ways, including through student visas and tourist visas, which allow them to be in proximity to the U.S. border in the first place. He also said he believes smuggling routes are well known to Chinese officials and that the smuggling is facilitated by local CCP allies. "A lot of them must be hiring smugglers just because if you don't know the ropes, how do you know where to go and who to talk to and what part of the border to sneak across?" he said. "It's harder than it looks." Krikorian said he does not believe there is currently a grand conspiracy to send groups of Chinese spies into the U.S. via the northern border, especially because of the Trump administration's stricter policies on border security. An operation like that, he said, would more likely occur with more relaxed border policies like the ones during the Biden administration and that the CCP is patient and calculated enough to simply wait until America's borders are open again. However, he said it was unfathomable to think that China would give up on exploiting America's border weaknesses or using preexisting smuggling routes they have used in the past. "I think the main thing is just people coming for dishwashing jobs, like regular illegal aliens," he said. "But if there's a flow like that, the People's Liberation Army is not stupid. They're going to salt it with people they're going to want to use in the future, whether it's saboteurs or spies or what have you. "Does anybody think the Chinese Communist Party is stupid enough not to have taken advantage of this opportunity Biden gave them? No."
Boston Globe
21-05-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
An ugly tax in a ‘beautiful bill'
But it's a different story for immigrants sharing their earnings with loved ones in their homelands. Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up Tax cuts may be important to the GOP brand, but these days so is ill will toward migrants. A new tax on remittances would generate some revenue for the federal government, but as with so many of Advertisement Mark Krikorian, who heads the Center for Immigration Studies, a group that lobbies for restricting immigrants, makes a similar point. 'One of the main reasons people come here is to work and send money home,' Nativists also argue that remittances drain money from the United States — that dollars earned here should stay here. 'Remittance-Senders (Mostly Illegals) Ship $25 Billion a Year Out of the U.S.,' the Center for Immigration Studies All this is bad economics and bad public policy. Even from a MAGA perspective, taxing remittances is counterproductive and unwise. The easier it is for workers in the United States to send money to relatives and friends in other countries, the less inclined those relatives and friends will be to risk migrating to the United States unlawfully. In many poor communities, from Central America to India, more foreigners to migrate in order to make money. Advertisement In short, Vance and Krikorian have it exactly backward: Squeezing remittances doesn't 'disincentivize illegal immigration.' It encourages it. Equally wrongheaded is the notion that remittances represent a loss of wealth from the United States. As most economists will confirm, dollars sent abroad — as remittances, to pay for imports, or to buy foreign currency — A party that claims to uphold limited government, free markets, and low taxes shouldn't be micromanaging the private finances of individual workers. Taxing remittances isn't sound economics or sound conservatism — it's just a way to punish people for sharing what they earn with their families. Targeting the wages immigrants send home won't protect Americans, won't strengthen border security, and won't boost the US economy. Republicans will gain nothing from a tax hike that is both ineffective and mean-spirited. There may be admirable provisions in the GOP's 'big, beautiful bill.' This isn't one of them. Advertisement Jeff Jacoby can be reached at
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
US northern border sees Romanian illegal immigrant influx as expert predicts what could be driving them
According to one immigration expert, relaxed Canadian visa requirements could be causing an uptick in Romanian illegal immigrants crossing the border to the United States. "First of all, the reason they're coming from Canada is that Canada lifted visa requirements for Romanians in 2017, I believe," Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, told Fox News Digital. "So it's a lot simpler to get to Canada than it is to here if you're a Romanian. And so then you sneak over the border. And why don't you stay in Canada instead of come here? I don't know." U.S. Customs and Border Protection data from the Houlton Sector in Maine shows Romanians made up less than 1% of border crossings in fiscal 2023. In fiscal 2024, that number increased to nearly 12%. Out of 344 illegal crossings in the sector, 40 people were identified as Romanian nationals. 3 Illegal Immigrants Charged After Fiery Texas Crash Leaves 1 Dead The Houlton Sector is located in northeast Maine, bordering New Brunswick, Canada. Krikorian suggested that Romanians might be trying to link up with family members in large cities. I-95 runs directly through Houlton, which may make it simpler for migrants to travel south and connect with relatives. Read On The Fox News App He explained that the majority of Romanians who leave their country flee to Italy and, to a lesser extent, Germany and other European Union countries. Still, more enterprising migrants might continue to the United States. "Italy is one of the big destinations for many Romanians," Krikorian said. "But there are going to be people who want to come here. I mean, the United States is better off than Italy, too. There's more opportunities here." Democrat Mayor Blasted For Vowing To Make Major City 'Safe Haven' For Illegal Immigrants But with changing visa requirements for Romanians wishing to enter the U.S., Krikorian expects illegal immigration numbers among Romanians to decline beginning at the end of this month. Romanian nationals will become eligible for the Visa Waiver Program at the end of March. The program allows citizens from participating countries to travel to the U.S. for up to 90 days without a visa, whether for tourism or business. Immigration Is Driving Trump's Popularity, Says Matthew Continetti Krikorian said that as a result, the number of illegal Romanian immigrants will drop, but the number of legal Romanian entrants will rise, some of whom will overstay their visas. "So illegal immigration of Romanians will just switch, will transform from border jumpers to visa over-stayers," he article source: US northern border sees Romanian illegal immigrant influx as expert predicts what could be driving them
Fox News
25-03-2025
- Business
- Fox News
US northern border sees Romanian illegal immigrant influx as expert predicts what could be driving them
According to one immigration expert, relaxed Canadian visa requirements could be causing an uptick in Romanian illegal immigrants crossing the border to the United States. "First of all, the reason they're coming from Canada is that Canada lifted visa requirements for Romanians in 2017, I believe," Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, told Fox News Digital. "So it's a lot simpler to get to Canada than it is to here if you're a Romanian. And so then you sneak over the border. And why don't you stay in Canada instead of come here? I don't know." U.S. Customs and Border Protection data from the Houlton Sector in Maine shows Romanians made up less than 1% of border crossings in fiscal 2023. In fiscal 2024, that number increased to nearly 12%. Out of 344 illegal crossings in the sector, 40 people were identified as Romanian nationals. The Houlton Sector is located in northeast Maine, bordering New Brunswick, Canada. Krikorian suggested that Romanians might be trying to link up with family members in large cities. I-95 runs directly through Houlton, which may make it simpler for migrants to travel south and connect with relatives. He explained that the majority of Romanians who leave their country flee to Italy and, to a lesser extent, Germany and other European Union countries. Still, more enterprising migrants might continue to the United States. "Italy is one of the big destinations for many Romanians," Krikorian said. "But there are going to be people who want to come here. I mean, the United States is better off than Italy, too. There's more opportunities here." But with changing visa requirements for Romanians wishing to enter the U.S., Krikorian expects illegal immigration numbers among Romanians to decline beginning at the end of this month. Romanian nationals will become eligible for the Visa Waiver Program at the end of March. The program allows citizens from participating countries to travel to the U.S. for up to 90 days without a visa, whether for tourism or business. Krikorian said that as a result, the number of illegal Romanian immigrants will drop, but the number of legal Romanian entrants will rise, some of whom will overstay their visas. "So illegal immigration of Romanians will just switch, will transform from border jumpers to visa over-stayers," he said.
