https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/08/americas/the-walking-route-how-an-underground-industry-is-helping-migrants-flee-china-for-the-us/index.html
Bundled in hoodies and jackets, they huddled around fires as they, and others there, counted the time before US border control agents would take them away for processing – and what they hoped would be the start to their lives in America.
These arrivals are part of a staggering new trend. In the first 11 months of 2023, more than 31,000 Chinese citizens were picked up by law enforcement crossing illegally into the US from Mexico, government data shows – compared with an average of roughly 1,500 per year over the preceding decade.
For $9,000 to $12,000, travelers can pay smugglers to arrange transportation for parts of the journey north, as well as a boat and guide for the optional rainforest crossing, all inclusive.
For those able to spend more, at least $20,000, the route gets easier: for example, help with a multiple-entry visa to Japan, which unlocks visa-free entry to Mexico, and transport to the border.
It’s not clear how many are taking those curated routes, but the offerings suggest a range of economic backgrounds among the border-bound. CNN compiled the information on these options by speaking with smugglers and others familiar with the industry, as well as from information in online tutorials.
Those from China who travel overland typically take what’s become a well-worn route from Quito to Tulcan, a small city perched on the border with Colombia.
There, residents told CNN they see hundreds – if not thousands – of Chinese migrants passing from Ecuador to Colombia each week.