Ecuador temporarily suspends visa exemption program for Chinese citizens due to rise in illegal immigration

Ecuadorian authorities announced on Tuesday the temporary suspension of visa requirements for Chinese citizens, citing an increase in illegal immigration from China into and through the country, a statement said.

“The Government of Ecuador has decided to temporarily suspend the Agreement on the Reciprocal Suspension of Visa Requirements for Ordinary Passport Holders between the Republic of Ecuador and (the People’s Republic of) China,” the Ecuadorian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility announced.

The reason is “the unusual increase in irregular migration flows of Chinese citizens who have arrived in the country and have not left within the permitted period (90 days after entering the national territory) or who use Ecuador as a starting point to reach other destinations in the hemisphere,” the statement said.

Ecuador has seen a “worrying increase” in Chinese immigration to the country, with about half of immigrants staying beyond their agreed period of stay and not leaving the country through regular channels, the statement said. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Chinese ‘Cyber ​​Police’ Agent Runs Online Network That Helps Illegal Immigrants Enter US)

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— Ecuador Cancilleria 🇪🇨 (@CancilleriaEc) June 18, 2024

Ecuador reiterated its commitment to provide visitors with adequate security guarantees to prevent them from becoming victims of human trafficking or smuggling, the statement said. Authorities are also committed to “ensuring adequate national immigration control and arrangements for the normal operation of air transport companies,” the statement said.

A five-day operation to combat migrant smuggling – Operation Turquesa V – coordinated by Interpol from November 22 to December 1, 2023, detected approximately 12,000 illegal migrants from 69 countries traveling through the Americas on smuggling routes through the United States and Canada, according to an Interpol statement.

Operation Turquesa has reportedly been running since 2019.

“The preliminary results of this year’s edition show a significant increase in transcontinental flows, particularly from China, which was the third most detected country of origin of illegal migrants after Venezuela and Ecuador,” the statement said.

Interpol arrested 257 suspects and rescued 163 potential victims during the operation, the statement said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported 27,583 encounters with illegal Chinese immigrants in the United States between October 2023 and April 2024, up from 24,125 in fiscal year 2023 and 1,987 in fiscal year 2022.

Meanwhile, the US government is said to have simplified the screening process for illegal immigrants from China.

Some of the Chinese migrants are reportedly young, middle-class people driven by extreme pessimism about China’s future.