An IMGW News Report
When Pan left his small village in Jiangxi, China, in 2023, he believed he was chasing freedom. After local officials demolished his home, he travelled thousands of miles through Ecuador and the Darién Gap before reaching the United States. Today, he works in a Chinese restaurant in Barstow, California, living in a room behind the kitchen and sending video calls home each night.
Pan’s story is part of a broader trend. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, more than 55,000 Chinese migrants entered the U.S. via the southern border between early 2023 and mid-2024, compared to just a few thousand in previous years. Many became known as zou xian ke – “those who walked the line” – trekking through Latin America in search of a better life. Their reasons varied, but common themes emerged: political repression, economic stagnation, and the belief—sometimes naïve—that the U.S. still offered opportunity.
“The future here doesn’t feel certain anymore. But going back—that thought is unbearable. (…) “America feels like it’s becoming another China”
– When Pan
Life in America has proved far more complex. Many face isolation, debt, and uncertainty while awaiting asylum. A Guardian report estimates there are around 390,000 undocumented Chinese immigrants in the U.S., a community now gripped by anxiety as Donald Trump pursues his promise of the “biggest deportation operation” in history. ICE raids in California have deepened fears, with some migrants legally permitted to work but still lacking asylum status—placing them at risk of arrest.
Trump’s second presidency coincides with strained U.S.–China ties. Biden had already kept Trump-era tariffs in place; now, Trump portrays China as a national security threat, warning of “infiltration.” Reuters reported on the first large deportation charter flight to China since 2018, signalling closer cooperation between Washington and Beijing to curb migration.
For Pan, the daily grind in Barstow still represents freedom from China’s repression. Yet others, like Kevin, a new father in San Gabriel Valley, express deep disillusionment. “America feels like it’s becoming another China,” he laments.
Caught between mistrust in the U.S. and rejection at home, many Chinese migrants now question whether the journey was worth it. For Pan, though, returning is unthinkable: “The future here doesn’t feel certain anymore. But going back—that thought is unbearable.”
