The number of illegal Chinese immigrants being transported over the Mexican border into San Diego has rocketed in recent years , according to new data by US Customs and Border Protection . San Diego Border Patrol agents apprehended 663 Chinese nationals between October and May this year , compared with 40 Chinese nationals in 2013 and five in 2014 . Published: 8:09am, 8 Jun, 2016 Updated: 6:11am, 11 Jan, 2018 The rise is primarily due to an increase in criminal organisations targeting Chinese immigrants , often charging each of them several thousand dollars to get them across the border from Mexico , says Border Patrol 's Wendi Lee . China has now become one of the world ’s leading producers of immigrants , according to the Migration Policy Institute : " The emigration rate of China ’s highly educated population is now five times as high as the country ’s overall rate . China ’s wealthy elites and growing middle class are increasingly pursuing educational and work opportunities overseas for themselves and their families , facilitated by their rising incomes , ” the report stated earlier this year .
The number of illegal Chinese immigrants being transported over the Mexican border into San Diego has rocketed in recent years , according to new data by US Customs and Border Protection . San Diego Border Patrol agents apprehended 663 Chinese nationals between October and May this year , compared with 40 Chinese nationals in 2013 and five in 2014 . The rise is primarily due to an increase in criminal organisations targeting Chinese immigrants , often charging each of them several thousand dollars to get them across the border from Mexico , says Border Patrol 's Wendi Lee . China has now become one of the world ’s leading producers of immigrants , according to the Migration Policy Institute : " The emigration rate of China ’s highly educated population is now five times as high as the country ’s overall rate . China ’s wealthy elites and growing middle class are increasingly pursuing educational and work opportunities overseas for themselves and their families , facilitated by their rising incomes , ” the report stated earlier this year .