The Department of Homeland Security conducted a massive sweep in early June, arresting more than two dozen Chinese nationals.
Reuters reported than in the three months since they’ve been arrested, not one has been deported because China has failed to provide the necessary documents. Many have been released from custody.
The lack of cooperation from the government in Beijing has caused a backlog of nearly 39,000 Chinese illegal immigrants awaiting deportation, 900 of which have been classified as violent offenders. Some of these illegals have been waiting for their proper deportation documents for over a decade.
Little has been done, despite an April meeting in Beijing with Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, in which the Chinese government “agreed to begin repatriation flights from the U.S. for Chinese nationals with final deportation orders,” according to DHS Press Secretary Marsha Catron.
“They do not want these people back,” said one U.S. official.
The massive backlog comes as Beijing is pushing for more help tracking down and repatriating dozens of alleged fugitives living in the U.S. as part of a widespread crackdown on corruption known as Operation Fox Hunt.
While America has put distance between the two issues, China has tied them together.
“China believes that there should be no double standards when it comes to the issue of handling the repatriation of illegal immigrants” and urges “support for China’s efforts to fight corruption,” said a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
The U.S. has said it would be willing to cooperate on Operation Fox Hunt, however the Chinese have failed to produce evidence of criminality for many suspects.
