Criminal groups that illegally smuggle people along the San Diego-Tijuana border have a new target group: Chinese migrants. This year alone, 500 Chinese migrants have been detained in their attempt to enter the United States. It is assumed that they flew from their home country to Tijuana, to then attempt to cross the border illegally.

“We are collaborating with the Joint Task Force West which is identifying the routes and the organizations that handle people from China. The 550 people from China were arrested along the border we cover at the San Diego Sector Border Patrol,” shared San Diego Sector Border Patrol spokesperson Wendi Lee.

According to the agency, the number of Asian immigrants crossing illegally increased more than 25 times this year. Five Chinese migrants were detained during the 2014 fiscal year, 55 in 2015, and during the first four months of 2016 the number has reached 600. The San Diego Sector Border Patrol stated that these immigrants are being smuggled by a criminal group operating in Tijuana and charging up to $70,000 per person.

“We know that the smugglers make more from a person who has travelled from far away, China in this case, from the point where they leave China until their final destination in the United States,” added Wendi Lee.

The 600 Asian detainees are currently being held at a San Diego Border Patrol Detention facility while they await a hearing before a Federal judge who will evaluate each case to determine whether to grant political asylum or return them to their country of origin. The most recent incident involving undocumented Chinese migrants happened this past weekend, when seven of them were detained in Potrero, near the Tecate Port of Entry.