"Inside China's Underground Migrant Escape Route to the US"

A growing number of Chinese nationals are fleeing economic hardship and political restrictions in China, making a perilous journey through South and Central America to reach the US-Mexico border. The influx of Chinese migrants highlights the urgency many feel to leave their native country, with a staggering 31,000 Chinese citizens picked up by law enforcement crossing illegally into the US from Mexico in the first 11 months of 2023. A network of businesses and social media accounts has emerged to cater to Chinese migrants, who often take a circuitous route across continents before beginning the arduous overland journey north. Once in the US, they face a new kind of uncertainty as they wait years to make their asylum case in front of a judge within an overwhelmed system.