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What fate awaits undocumented Chinese migrants in the US under Donald Trump?
President-elect’s plan unlikely to affect recent wave of border crossers who entered during the Biden administration, at least initially
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As president-elect Donald Trump made his plans to deport millions of undocumented migrants known, Chinese border crossers began flooding group chats voicing fear that their stay in the US could be precariously short.
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“Once Trump gets in office, he’ll kick all of us out,” said one.
A letter written by Chinese migrants, pledging to obey US laws and contribute to the country, began circulating soon after it was clear Trump had won. Those who signed the letter aim to present it to him on his inauguration day.
So far, Trump has said he plans to declare a national emergency and use the US military to accomplish his goal, as well as invoke the arcane Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to bypass migrants’ due-process rights.
Stephen Miller, his immigration policy adviser, has said that “vast holding facilities” will serve as “staging centres” for the operation. On November 19, Texas offered the federal government more than 1,000 acres near the southern US border to host detention centres.
Trump made immigration policy a cornerstone of his 2024 election campaign, often invoking polarising rhetoric to describe migrant groups.
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