Chinese migrants to the US via the jungles of Central America

[Randy W]

Why Chinese migrants to the US risk deadly journey via the jungles of South America
Conditions in China are forcing many middle-class Chinese to beat a treacherous path from Ecuador to Mexico and the US for a chance to live the American dream

from the SCMP

How Chinese migrants reach the US from Ecuador

Quote

 

They wanted to reach the United States by way of South and Central America – a once-unthinkable journey that has in recent months gained traction and become a popular migration route among people desperate to leave China.

Political oppression, stifled freedom of speech, prolonged unemployment, educational disparities and failing businesses were just a few of the factors driving their escape.

 . . .

Once a negligible group along this migration trail dominated by Latin Americans, Chinese have recently become one of the main nationalities crossing the Darien Gap. The Panamanian government registered more than 5,000 Chinese migrants making irregular crossings into the country in the first four months of 2023 alone, and locals have taken notice.

Along the riverbank, vendors have set up humble shops and eateries, mostly selling food to these hunger-stricken travellers. Squinting his eyes, Cai sees peculiar boards hanging above the modest establishments: “Welcome, Chinese friends!” one sign reads in Chinese characters. Another spot has its full menu in Chinese.

 . . .

In recent years, he has visited former activists associated with the 1989 uprisings that ended with the Tiananmen Square crackdown. When protests against Beijing’s zero-Covid policy broke out across China, he says the government called him in, warned him against further contact with activists, and invalidated his passport by defacing the front and back pages.

Two days before he fled China, he heard from his parents that police had called them, inquiring about his whereabouts. Fearing arrests and persecution, he decided to flee.

Not every Chinese migrant’s story is political. The vast majority of those on this journey have left China for economic reasons. However, unlike other migrants on this journey, including those from Venezuela or Haiti, most Chinese do not face crushing poverty at home.

Hailing from the middle or lower-middle classes, Chinese migrants can pay thousands of dollars for flight tickets and all the expenses of the overland journey. Having experienced decades of exponential growth, China’s current economic environment, especially following the three years of the zero-Covid policy, has all but decimated their aspirations back home.

 

 

 

[Randy W]

An interesting story about some Americans crossing the darien Gap in the other direction in 1961 (CFL link)

There’s a very interesting story behind this American car that was abandoned in the jungle, but it’s not hard to believe

Edited August 20, 2023 by Randy W (see edit history)