China, in his words · 2024 campaign · № 97
Says Chinese migrants crossing the border are probably building an army
“No, they're probably building an army. They're probably building an army from within. I mean, you look at what's happening, because they're very healthy young men for the most part. And it's up to over 30,000 now.”
- Said
- , Interview on The Hugh Hewitt Show (radio)
- Subject
- Chinese migrants
- Threat
- Military threat
- Topic
- Immigration
- Era
- 2024 campaign
What the record showed
U.S. authorities arrested more than 37,000 Chinese nationals at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2023. The Associated Press reported in May 2024 that there was no evidence the migrants had tried to mount a military force, and that Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell called them "economic migrants." PolitiFact found that Customs and Border Protection does not release age or gender data on migrants and found no evidence they were coming at the direction of China's military. He repeated the claim on Oct. 22, 2024, in Greensboro, North Carolina, saying 70,000 Chinese migrants was "getting to be army territory."
Sources
- Interview: Hugh Hewitt Interviews Donald Trump on His Syndicated Radio Show - April 4, 2024
- Trump suggests Chinese migrants are in the US to build an ‘army,’ but they tell another story
- As Chinese immigration to U.S. rises, Republicans and Trump use ‘military age men’ scare tactic
- Remarks at a Campaign Rally in Greensboro, North Carolina