INTERNACIONAL
Congressional committee chair slams TikTok’s role in aiding Chinese migrant surge at southern border
Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., chairman of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, slammed TikTok for aiding a surge of Chinese migrants trying to cross the U.S. southern border.
«This is further evidence that TikTok must be banned or sold to an American company. President Biden must also reverse his open-border policies,» Gallagher said.
«You’re not going to pay cartels thousands of dollars to smuggle you into the United States if you know you can’t get in,» Gallagher argued. «Instead, under the Biden administration’s policies, reports demonstrate that migrants receive step-by-step instructions from CCP-controlled TikTok on where to illegally cross into the United States.»
CBS program «60 Minutes» ran a segment last weekend that discussed the crisis on the U.S. southern border, highlighting that Chinese nationals comprise the fastest-growing group of illegal migrants.
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Fox News footage shows Chinese migrants being released into the U.S. (Fox News)
TikTok did not respond to Gallagher’s comments by the time of publication.
But, in reaction to the initial report, a TikTok spokesperson said, «TikTok strictly prohibits human smuggling, which we remove from our platform and report to law enforcement when warranted.»
Migrants reportedly use TikTok videos that instruct them step-by-step on how to find someone to help smuggle them across the border and where to find a gap in the wall. The videos often focus on how to get from China or Hong Kong to Ecuador or Panama, popular starting points for Chinese people’s journeys to the U.S.
U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., walks to a House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington Feb. 7, 2023. (Reuters/Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo)
Some of the content focuses on the pitfalls immigrants can face, such as unemployment in the U.S. and the difficult life illegal immigrants can face there. One piece on Baidu detailed a man’s experience returning to China after failing to obtain asylum and the punishment he faced.
A video on YouTube shows Chinese people carrying their children on their journey across the border.
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Chinese citizens have had mixed reactions to the «60 Minutes» report. Some support the people who try to flee the oppressive political regime, saying it’s «understandable» and complimenting people who dare to leave.
Others argue the belief that America provides more opportunities is a mistake, or they claim those who flee should not be allowed to return should things not work out.
Migrants attempting to cross into San Luis, Ariz., from Mexico are detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the border Aug. 20, 2022. (Nick Ut/Getty Images)
Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) sources confirmed to Fox News they have encountered nearly 20,000 Chinese migrants already in fiscal year 2024 and are on track to shatter last year’s record of over 37,000, averaging around 150 migrants a day.
Between Oct. 1, 2023, and the start of fiscal 2024, over 1,000,000 migrant encounters have occurred along the southern border, he earliest that milestone has ever been reached. In the same period the prior year, the number hit just over 900,000.
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U.S. Border Patrol agents hand out bracelets as they process asylum seekers waiting between the double fence along the U.S.-Mexico border near Tijuana, Mexico, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy)
The «60 Minutes» piece claimed the number of temporary visas issued to Chinese citizens wishing to travel to the U.S. had dropped from millions to just 160,000 in 2022. The U.S. State Department pushed back on this framing, instead arguing that the number has increased over the past year.
«The U.S. Embassy in Beijing, and U.S. Consulates in Guangzhou, Shanghai and Shenyang collectively issued 325% more visas in FY2023 over FY2022, which is a substantial increase rather than a decrease in available visas,» a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
The spokesperson estimated around 8 million Chinese citizens hold valid visitor visas and that the process to obtain one is «currently around 80 calendar days, but as low as 30 days in Shenyang and 50 in Beijing,» while the average wait time for a student or worker visa is around seven days.
«In the past year, we have observed increased encounters of irregular migrants from countries out of the Western Hemisphere,» the spokesperson noted. «We continue to work with partners to identify countries of concern and to coordinate responses to address the challenges of irregular migration.»
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The Department of Homeland Security told Fox News Digital in a statement that the U.S. has experienced «historic global migration,» and the department is trying to «disrupt the criminal networks who take advantage of and profit from vulnerable migrants.»
«We are using every tool available to us, but we need additional funding and reforms from Congress to address our broken immigration system,» a spokesperson for DHS said.
INTERNACIONAL
Was a beloved whale suspected of being a Russian ‘spy’ killed in Norway?
Havldimir quickly became a celebrity in Norway, swimming his way into their Nordic hearts.
But this beluga whale’s odd story started in 2019 when he was discovered in northern Norway near the island of Ingoya wearing a harness with «Equipment St Petersburg» written in English connected to a mount for a small camera.
Hvaldimir, as Norwegians dubbed him – mixing together the Norwegian word for whale and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s name – was intelligent, friendly and responded to hand signals, leading Norway’s spy agency to believe he had been held in captivity by Russia and used for research purposes.
Once Hvaldimir was freed from his harness, though, his friendly personality made him beloved in the country.
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Hvaldimir was found in 2019 wearing a harness with a camera mount on it. (Jorgen Ree Wiig/Sea Surveillance Service/Handout/NTB Scanpix via Reuters/File Photo)
He was fed and monitored by the Norwegian government and dubbed a «free-swimming whale» by the Norwegian Orca Survey, venturing as far as Sweden but always returning home, according to The Telegraph.
Hvaldimir was found dead off southern Norway last weekend.
«It’s absolutely horrible,» marine biologist Sebastian Strand, who worked with Marine Mind, told Norwegian public broadcaster NRK. «He was apparently in good condition as of (Friday), so we just have to figure out what might have happened here.»
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Hvaldimir, being fed here, became beloved in Norway. (orgen Ree Wiig, Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries via AP)
Hvaldimir may have died of natural causes, but conservation groups NOAH and One Whale have filed police reports claiming he was shot, according to the Telegraph.
The Oceanic Preservation Society said that a necropsy will be done on Hvaldimir to determine his cause of death in the next few weeks.
«We’ve been absolutely devastated over the news, and are deeply saddened that humanity failed this beloved whale,» the organization said on social media.
He was fed and monitored by the Norwegian government and dubbed a «free-swimming whale» by the Norwegian Orca Survey, venturing as far as Sweden but always returning home. (Jorgen Ree Wiig, Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries via AP)
Nonprofit Marine Mind said on Facebook that Hvaldimir «bridged the gap» between humans and wild animals in a way «few can.»
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«Hvaldimir was not just a beluga whale; he was a beacon of hope, a symbol of connection, and a reminder of the deep bond between humans and the natural world,» the organization said. «Over the past five years, he touched the lives of tens of thousands, bringing people together in awe of the wonders of nature. His presence taught us about the importance of ocean conservation, and in doing so, he also taught us more about ourselves.»
Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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