West Houston News

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In an effort to safeguard national security, Congressman Troy E. Nehls (R-TX-22), Chairman Mark Green of the House Homeland Security Committee, and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio have introduced the No Asylum for CCP Spies Act. This bicameral legislation aims to prevent members of "communist or totalitarian parties" from being granted asylum in the United States. Existing immigration laws already prohibit visa eligibility, admittance, and naturalization for such individuals.

Under the proposed legislation, members of communist or totalitarian parties would only be granted asylum if they meet strict conditions. These include publicly renouncing their party membership through an approved government service, denouncing the party during the asylum adjudication process, proving involuntary membership, and receiving clearance from the Attorney General or the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security as not posing a threat to U.S. security. The legislation would allow individuals with valuable national security information to be considered for asylum.

The introduction of this legislation coincides with a rise in Chinese nationals arriving at the U.S. border. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has encountered nearly 40,000 Chinese nationals along the northern and southern borders in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023. In July alone, there were over 6,000 encounters with Chinese nationals. These numbers surpass the totals for FY21 and FY22, which were approximately 23,500 and 27,800, respectively.

"The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is our nation's greatest foreign adversary," stated Congressman Troy E. Nehls. "Due to the Biden Administration's complete and utter failure to secure our borders, migrants from all over the world are being encountered at both our northern and southern borders, with record numbers of Chinese nationals claiming asylum. If these individuals claiming asylum in the United States are members of the CCP, they are not in fear of returning to Communist China. They are here to infiltrate our society, steal our intellectual property, gain our country's secrets, and report back to Xi Jinping. I am proud to work with Senator Rubio and my other colleagues in introducing this critical piece of legislation to keep Communist Chinese spies out of our country."

Chairman Mark Green of the House Homeland Security Committee added, "CBP has encountered a record number of Chinese nationals at the Southwest border, with totals exceeding FY21 and FY22. I'm proud to co-lead Senator Rubio's No Asylum for CCP Spies Act in the House with Congressman Nehls—a solution to protect our national security from individuals associated with communist parties seeking to harm our national security."

The No Asylum for CCP Spies Act has garnered support from cosponsors including Representatives Byron Donalds (R-FL-19), Bill Posey (R-FL-8), and Beth Van Duyne (R-TX-24). In the Senate, Senator Marco Rubio introduced companion legislation with original cosponsors Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS), Senator Rick Scott (R-FL), Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), Senator Mike Braun (R-IN), and Governor Pete Ricketts (R-NE).

"The American people are facing the repercussions of the Biden Administration's open border policy, which is creating chaos and putting our communities at risk," said Senator Marco Rubio. "We don't know who's illegally entering our nation. This presents an opportunity for the Chinese Communist Party to further take advantage and threaten our democracy and national security interests."

"Communist China's murderous leaders and the thugs that carry out the brutal agenda of Xi's regime cannot be trusted and cannot be allowed to 'seek asylum' in America as a front for spying," emphasized Senator Rick Scott. "The No Asylum for CCP Spies Act is good for our national security and actually protects those who have legitimate asylum claims from being hurt by bad actors. I urge my colleagues for their support of this good bill."

With over 170 different nationalities illegally crossing the border, including 40,000 nationals from Communist China this year alone, Senator Bill Hagerty highlighted the urgency of the legislation, stating, "This bill would ensure that the CCP can't exploit Biden's broken border policies to spy, steal, and otherwise harm U.S. national interests."

The proposed legislation aims to address the increasing presence of Chinese nationals at the U.S. border and prevent potential national security threats from infiltrating the country. It awaits further consideration and support from lawmakers to protect the interests and security of the United States.

For more information on the No Asylum for CCP Spies Act, please visit here.