The Only Visa-Free Country in the Americas... A Route to the United States
The South American government of Ecuador has decided to suspend its visa-free stay agreement with China due to a surge in illegal immigration. Ecuador, the only country in the Americas with a visa-free agreement with China, is being seen as a departure point for illegal immigration to the United States.
On the 18th (local time), the Ecuadorian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "We will temporarily suspend the agreement on mutual visa exemption for holders of ordinary passports between our country and China," adding, "This is because the number of Chinese nationals whose legitimate departure cannot be confirmed has surged."
The U.S. think tank Niskanen Center cited official Ecuadorian data, reporting that last year, 48,381 Chinese nationals entered Ecuador, but only 24,240 departed. The Niskanen Center diagnosed that the difference in entry and exit statistics (24,141) is the highest compared to entrants of any other nationality.
Ecuador, the only country in the Americas that allows visa-free entry for Chinese nationals, is considered a popular departure point for Chinese individuals who intend to travel north through Central America before heading to the United States.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Zhen emphasized in this regard, "China firmly opposes all forms of illegal stay," and "China strictly enforces the law against individuals involved with related organizations." According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the mutual visa exemption agreement between the two countries was first enacted in 2016.
Meanwhile, the number of Chinese immigrants entering the United States surged sharply last year. U.S. border officials apprehended more than 37,000 Chinese nationals at the southern border, which is ten times the number in 2022. Although monthly apprehensions decreased during the first three months of this year, they increased to 3,282 in April.
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