As Chinese immigration to U.S. rises, Republicans and Trump use ‘military age men’ scare tactic
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Following an increase in the number of Chinese immigrants crossing the U.S. southern border, former President Donald Trump and other Republicans have said that these are “military age men” with ties to China’s military or allegiance to the Communist Party of China.
“From China, they had 28,000 people in the last few months, 28,000,” Trump said in a Feb. 4 interview with Maria Bartiromo on Fox News. “That’s — what’s he doing, building an army? And they were mostly men, almost all men from the age of 18 to 25. So what’s that all about?” Trump did not specify who the “he” was, but it could have been China’s President Xi Jinping, based on Trump’s full comments.
Bartiromo asked Trump, “Are they being directed by the Communist Party to come here?” Trump replied, “I believe so.”
Other Republican lawmakers and pundits have recently made similar comments about “military age men” and immigrants from China or other countries, including Rep. Mark Green, R-Tenn, Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and conservative pundit Charlie Kirk.
Some political figures have used the phrase “military age men” about immigrants without singling out China. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., in a floor speech described immigrants as “military aged,” saying, “These are not huddled masses of families seeking refuge and asylum.”
All of these comments are misleading. U.S. Customs and Border Protection does not release specific age or gender data about immigrants at the border, and “military age” means different things in different countries. We found no evidence such as news reports, anecdotes or government data showing that immigrants from China are coming to the U.S. at the direction of China’s military.
Chinese immigrants are coming to the U.S. in search of jobs and freedom — the same forces driving other immigrants who come to the U.S. from all over the world. Immigration attorneys and advocates told us that a significant portion are young men, but that’s not unusual for any immigrant group.
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