Illegal Chinese Immigration into the United States: A Preliminary Factor Analysis

Published date01 June 2001
DOI10.1177/0306624X01453006
Date01 June 2001
Subject MatterJournal Article
/tmp/tmp-17aOHsnH3xVP4F/input International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology
Illegal Chinese Immigration
Illegal Chinese Immigration
Into the United States: A
Preliminary Factor Analysis
John Z. Wang
Abstract: Since August 1991, a new type of international criminal activity, using oceangoing
ships, has appeared. Illegal Chinese immigrants are entering various countries throughout the
world, including the United States. This new wave of illegal global migration has promoted
several social problems in the countries and areas affected: unauthorized employment, sub-
standard housing, political asylum schemes, and related crimes such as murder, kidnapping,
ganging, and prostitution. This article will analyze some of the causal factors that lead to the
situation. Furthermore, a theoretical explanation of the “demand and supply/pull and push”
model will be discussed. Finally, some countermeasures are offered as policy recommenda-
tions to combat or curtail this worldwide smuggling operation. Based on a content analysis
and personal interviews with illegal Chinese immigrants, the current article suggests that this
new crime phenomenon involves transnational criminal groups. It results from the demand for
cheap labor in Chinatowns in the United States, the abundant labor supply in China’s coastal
regions, and the huge profit from such smuggling activities.

On January 12, 2000, a dozen illegal Chinese immigrants were detected in a
soft-top container on a cargo ship near the Port of Seattle, Washington. Three dead
bodies were also found inside the container (Murphy, 2000). This incident high-
lights a growing problem: illegal Chinese immigrants being smuggled into the
United States by cargo ships or fishing vessels. Obviously, this new modus ope-
randi of illegal alien smuggling has raised some serious questions for law enforce-
ment agencies as well as policy makers: What characteristics does this new illegal
Chinese immigration have? What are the causal factors and theoretical explana-
tions for this new crime phenomenon? What are the countermeasures that can be
taken to combat or curtail the oceangoing smuggling operation?
Whereas the smuggling routes by air were briefly discussed in an earlier article
(Wang, 1993), an attempt is made in this article to focus on (a) the reasons behind
the involvement of Taiwanese oceangoing vessels, (b) the causal factors and theo-
retical perspectives for the new crime phenomenon, and (c) policy recommenda-
tions for countermeasures.
Due to the difficulty and sensitivity involved in obtaining the data regarding the
topic, the majority of the information provided in this article comes from five
sources: (a) a content analysis of some major English and Chinese newspapers in
the United States, (b) personal interviews with illegal Chinese immigrants work-
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 45(3), 2001
345-355
 2001 Sage Publications
345

346
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology
ing in Chinese restaurants and sweatshops both in the Houston and Los Angeles
areas, (c) personal interviews with social workers working with illegal Chinese
immigrants who were detained in Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS)
detention centers, (d) personal interviews with INS agents investigating illegal
Chinese immigration, and (e) personal interviews with Chinese law enforcement
personnel during a trip to China in June of 2000.
BACKGROUND
Illegal alien smuggling and related criminal activities have been confronted by
U.S. law enforcement agencies for many years. However, this current surge of
illegal Chinese immigration bears two new features. First, Taiwanese fishing
ships are used for transportation. Second, the vast majority of the illegal Chinese
are coming from one area: Fujian (Fukieu) Province of China.
Although many illegal Chinese immigrants were still coming by air beginning
in August 1991 (Mydans, 1992), a new type of smuggling operation began to take
shape: Taiwanese oceangoing ships were now being used to smuggle illegal Chi-
nese immigrants to the United States. It is suggested that the occurrence of this
new type of operation is explained by the reduced overhead, increased profit, and
simple logistics involved (no passports and minimal bribery required). Fur-
thermore, this new criminal operation is different from the air smuggling opera-
tion in terms of techniques involved, networking used, the number of persons
smuggled (about 150 persons per ship), and the amount of money charged (about
$30,000 per head).
In brief, the use of oceangoing ships to smuggle illegal Chinese immigrants
seems to be an alternative to smuggling by air, which appeared to have been put
into operation in 1991. Nevertheless, the oceangoing smuggling is attributable to
more complex causal factors.
FACTOR ANALYSIS
Since August 1991, thousands of Chinese illegal immigrants have made their
way to the United States after several months of voyage, enduring tremendous
hardship and financial risk. Such an international illegal migration cannot occur
without both macro- and micro-causal factors. The former cover historical, eco-
nomic, and social aspects, whereas the latter include some situational factors that
resulted from the political asylum policy of the INS, the Chinese Student Protec-
tion Act, and the discontinuation of the use of Taiwanese fishing vessels as
described below.

Illegal Chinese Immigration
347
HISTORICAL FACTORS
Historically, Chinese overseas migration dates back several centuries. Most
immigrants were from the Guangdong (Canton) Province and a small portion
from Fujian Province. Many of the early immigrants sailed for Malaysia, Thai-
land, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, and other Southeast Asian countries.
Many others came to the United States during the California gold rush and the
grand railway construction. During those days, immigrants’ passage was pur-
chased by their employers who then used their labor to repay the debt. This kind of
migration was not considered illegal in the sense that there were no specific regu-
lations to prohibit such labor practices in either the United States or China.
Today the geographical feature of immigration (legal or illegal) has reversed.
The majority of the illegal immigrants come from Fujian Province and only a few
from the Guangdong Province. Almost 99% of those illegal immigrants from
Fujian Province come from Changle, Lianjiang, and...

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