Chinese cultural people smuggling 中国文化人偷渡的大幕已经拉开

 The road has been opened! Chinese people are entering the United States with the South American army-the curtain of Chinese cultural people smuggling has been opened

Anyone who pays attention to the United States knows that one of the most important and controversial measures during the Trump administration is to build a wall on the southern border of the United States-a wall of thousands of kilometers on the US-Mexico border to stop the continuous flow of people coming from Mexico. A large number of smugglers from South American countries entered the United States.

The resignation of President Trump in 2021 will interrupt this ambitious wall construction project. The Biden administration's inaction in preventing criminal smuggling combined with its constant humanitarian aid has made the tide of smuggling to the United States overwhelmed. From January to several months this year, more than 100,000 people entered the United States every month. (Video taken with previously used night vision goggles). This makes Texas, which has the longest U.S.-Mexico border, miserable. The governor had to send a car every week to send these smuggled immigrants to New York, Chicago, the capital Washington and other places that claim to be sanctuary cities (meaning to welcome refugees). (Related link: Let Obama and the Vice President Open the Doors - A Letter to President Biden)

Statistics show that in the year ending September 2022, more than 2.76 million people tried to enter the country from Mexico without legal procedures! This figure is equivalent to the total population of some countries. This also set a record for the number of people in history. Republicans in the United States call this a border crisis triggered by the Biden administration.

I don't know when, this group of Chinese people with yellow skin and black eyes began to appear in the torrent of people entering the United States every day.

And since the end of last year, the situation has taken a turn for the worse—the number of Chinese in this smuggling army is increasing day by day. According to insiders, by March of this year, the refugee camp in Panama had been basically occupied by the Chinese. Some local photographers saw more than 10 vehicles pulled by people in one day, and most of the passengers were Chinese. They are now on their way to the United States.

According to data released by the Panamanian government, from January to March this year, 3,855 Chinese immigrants passed through the precipitous "Daren Pass" between South America and Central America, and continued to move towards the United States.

With the increasing number of South American countries with visa-free Chinese passports, for those who want to smuggle into the United States, they can fly to several South American countries that are very close to the United States in one step. Ecuador is currently an important destination country chosen by many Chinese.

In other words, for Chinese people, they only need to buy a connecting ticket (there are currently no direct flights to these countries in China) and land in a small South American country. Can enter the United States.

Such smugglers now have a brand new name—informers.

In today's era, the speed of information dissemination is no longer one-to-ten, ten-to-hundred, but an explosive geometric progression in an instant. That's why it took only about three months for the Chinese to become a new force in this torrent that runs day and night.

Night-vision goggles capture more than 500 illegal immigrants marching across Texas border overnight

So far, a new type of Chinese smuggling into the United States has begun!

What is the background of these Chinese informants? What hardships and risks have they experienced along the way? Where will they go after entering the United States and how will they survive? What help do they need most now? What attitude do the Chinese in America have towards them?

In the following text, I will give answers to the above questions based on my personal experience, interviews and research. So that people can see this overwhelming and shocking phenomenon. Then think about the reasons behind this and the impact it has brought to this era.

01

Directly attack many Chinese informants

In March of this year, I have learned from various sources that more and more Chinese faces are appearing in the flow of people smuggled from the southern border of the United States.

One day in April, such a message suddenly appeared on my WeChat——

@all: This Sunday, 04/23 at 2:00 pm, the charity distribution activity will start. Volunteers should arrive at the scene at 1:00. The address is in the open-air parking lot behind the Lincoln Hotel in Montreal. @All Volunteers: Any surplus daily necessities, toiletries, small household appliances, quilts, clothing, shoes, backpacks, food, etc. at home can be donated. Clothes, shoes, backpacks and quilts need to be clean and tidy, without damage, dirt, or serious fading. Please stack them neatly at home and send them to the distribution location or send them by yourself; small household appliances should be tested first to confirm their work and wiped clean; cash donors, please contact the organizer to pick up shopping List and purchase and deliver to the distribution site by yourself, or contact volunteers to help purchase delivery services. In addition, friends who go to the site to distribute please bring your own folding table for placing the distribution items. Volunteer participants on the day please arrive at the open-air parking lot behind the Lincoln Hotel at 1:00 p.m. and follow the unified arrangements of the organizers. Please let go of your prejudices and be grateful to help your compatriots. Thank you for your love and charity.

Thank you very much for your support! Your dedication will always be remembered by our compatriots.

The location of this donation event is in Monterey Park, which is called Little Taipei City in Los Angeles, only a thirty-minute drive from my home. So I acted immediately, asked my wife to pack the clothes that could be donated, and prepared to act on time to deliver the items directly to these compatriots.

As soon as I arrived at the scene, I was amazed by the scene in front of me—there were so many people who came to collect the donated items, and a long line was lined up around the hotel building, and I couldn't see the end at a glance.

These people include men and women, the elders are in their fifties, and the young are in their early teens. All of them were clean and tidy, and their expressions and behaviors were safe and orderly. It's not like the imagined "informer" who has gone through hardships and is in a mess.

What background do they all come from? Which province and city are they mainly from?

——With this question in mind, I approached Linda and Ximeng, who have been organizing this series of donation activities.

They led a group of volunteers to work nervously at the scene-guiding these line workers to line up and release people to the donated items in an orderly manner. Helping, moving and distributing donated materials, etc.

The endless line of informers was released in groups of 4 or 5 people, and they selected donations by themselves. The volunteers shouted loudly: "Each person is limited to 4 items."

Linda, who has talked directly with many informants these days, told me: These people come from Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hubei, Shaanxi and other provinces. They used to have good careers in China. Many of them brought their own Chinese driver's licenses, indicating that they own cars in China.

They all communicate in Mandarin. Many have access to computers, and some speak English—they can go online and apply to American schools for their children. I also applied for a "white card" for myself-the benefits provided by the US government to people like them. You can even find a free lawyer provided by the government to file a lawsuit for yourself.

I also noticed that these people in front of me are indeed educated people. At the place where the donated items were collected, some people actually squatted on the ground to choose various donated books.

Linda also said that although they have different occupations, these informants are not at all like the previous smugglers—all Fujian farmers. They include middle school teachers, engineers, insurance brokers and financial professionals, and many even started their own companies...

In short, the biggest characteristic of these people is that they are all cultural people.

02

What do these informants need most now?

"The biggest shortage is food," one of the organizers of the donation event told me. That's why most of the donated cash went to buy instant noodles and bread.

And of course the shoes. These informants came all the way through mountains and rivers. They don't know how many shoes have been worn away. Today I saw a lot of donated brand new casual shoes in different sizes, all of which Linda just bought from Costco.

There are also two things they need most that ordinary people can't think of-one is an electric kettle, Linda said, "This kind of kettle that can be plugged in to boil water is in short supply, and we don't have enough, so we can only give priority to it now." For those pregnant women."

Maybe you will have doubts about this-are there any pregnant women among those who trek across the mountains and mountains for two months these days?

Yes. Pregnant women want to come even more! Because they want to give birth to their children on this land. Immediately after giving birth, the child is granted U.S. citizenship. In this way his life is guaranteed. And in the future, you can apply for a green card for your parents (even if they are black in the United States) as a citizen.

From this point of view, these informants also know the United States very well-American hospitals will not refuse you to see a doctor or deliver a baby just because you have no money.

Another thing they lack is the kind of schoolbag-like backpack - today a lawyer in Los Angeles donated a thousand dollars and just bought this thing. I saw stacks of brand new backpacks sitting on a table in the donation pick-up area.

I couldn't help asking curiously: "Are there so many school-going children among them?"—"No. Adults use this too," Linda told me.

I suddenly realized that they had to carry water and food every day to find a living. Because at the end of the day, I don't know when I can have a bite of food. So they have to carry basic food and water on their backs.

I looked at these people who lined up in a long line and moved forward slowly, and found another phenomenon-almost everyone was wearing a mask! This seems very strange in the United States, where the new crown epidemic has been officially declared over. But it dawned on me right away - they were stowaways after all, and they were here to pick up free donations, and they didn't want their faces to be seen.

03

The hard line experience

Does anyone know how these informants made the decision to smuggle in this way? And still with the family, even with a pregnant wife and young children? What kind of days and nights did they go through before entering the United States?

"In January this year, in the choppy waters near Colombia, a speedboat full of people sailed at night. Mr. Huang, who used to work as a fitness instructor in Shanghai, was in it.

He was soaked by the splashing waves, and he was afraid that the boat would capsize. He said he typed a farewell letter on his cell phone, which he would send to his father back home if it looked like he would not make it to the coast of Panama alive and continue his trek through the jungle.

Huang was part of a large group of Chinese who traveled across eight countries to the southern U.S. border, risking detention, drowning and robbery. They chose the path traveled by hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans, Cubans, and others.

Mr Huang said there was no hope left in China. But if there are other ways, who would like to leave their hometown? "

— Wall Street Journal, April 17

Please listen to the personal accounts of the informants——

——Through the mountains and rivers along the way, you have to pass through seven, eight or even more than ten countries. To face various checkpoints, dangers and even death, my small iron boat, containing more than 30 people, floated like a leaf in the dark Caribbean Sea. A boat behind me capsized, killing two people. We have to float at sea for more than five hours.

- Snakeheads work in sections. You don't know what risks will arise in each segment. From one town to another, a smuggler dropped us off at one location, took $650 and disappeared. You just wait there anxiously for the next segment of snakehead to appear.

——When you meet the police in some countries, they will come and search you. In fact, they are here to steal money. The $120 on me was confiscated by a policeman. In addition to money, they also robbed things. My wife's iPad was also taken away by them. You have nothing to say in that kind of place, you dare to be angry but dare not speak out.

——After arriving at the climbing point in Panama, it is necessary to climb the mountain for two days and one night. In the tropical rainforest, there is no food in the jungle, but mosquito bites. There is a kind of mosquito called blood-sucking midges. Very small mosquitos. After biting you, it was a small blood spot. It didn't hurt very much at the time, but then it became extremely itchy. It takes a month for the itching to subside.

——The jungle is full of mud. I am very tired. If I fall behind, I may die. My son couldn't walk any longer, and spent money to rely on the snake's head to carry it. I paid $370 for him to carry my son across the canyon. If you don't spend the money, you will die in it. I won't be able to get out for another two hours. I would fall behind and die.

There are also Chinese people who are robbed there, and then you will die there if you get lost for a day or two.

According to data from the International Organization for Migration, tens of thousands of people die and disappear every year among the troops entering the United States. So you have to think clearly - when you decide to take the route to the United States, are you sure you can reach your destination alive?

04

The fate of the informant after entering the country

More than 30 years ago, I worked in a Chinese restaurant in New York. Except for the boss and the cashier, all the shopkeepers are smuggled immigrants from Fujian. I have been with this group of compatriots day and night for several months.

Before entering the United States, these Fujian farmers who smuggled into the United States were very clear about their situation and future after entering the United States, and hundreds of thousands of people all followed the same route—if they were not caught while smuggling, they would go directly to Chinese restaurants to work . If you are caught, you should immediately apply for asylum, so that you can be released and then go to work. Each of them started as a handyman in a Chinese restaurant, and rose step by step to become a "wok" (that is, the big cabinet in charge of the restaurant). 13 hours a day, six to seven days a week. 4, 5 or even 6, 7 people crowded in a room with bunk beds and small pigeon cages. First, earn money to repay the smuggling fee (previously it was jointly guaranteed by relatives and friends in the United States), and then save money and send money home. After working for 8 to 10 years, I get enough money to build a small western-style building in my hometown, and then I'm done and I return home.

Today's lineman is completely different. Since they are all educated people, they are far from the hard-working nature of Fujian farmers.

Of course, the difference between the two lies in that Fujian farmers have no knowledge, no skills, let alone English. Therefore, smuggling to the United States to work in Chinese restaurants to earn money is the only way for them to change their destiny and provide their families with a different life.

Today, these informants are constantly comparing themselves with their original lives. Even if they took this risky road impulsively at that time, the daily hardships and pains after the real life unfolded challenged the limit of their tolerance.

Therefore, there are many people who automatically give up on the way. The most common way is to buy a plane ticket back home in Mexico.

Of course, there are also a group of people who have successfully entered the United States by route, and even arrived in Los Angeles, where it is easy to find a job and often has compatriots to help them, but they still feel that they can't bear the hardship and buy air tickets to return home.

It can be said that the way of life of these cultural people after entering the United States is very different.

So for most people who are determined to survive in the United States, how do they solve the legality of their identity? This is about the United States' handling procedures for smugglers.

There are only two possibilities for informants at the US border, one is to be arrested, and the other is to enter the country successfully. Let's talk about the arrest first.

When a smuggler is caught, the first thing the U.S. Border Patrol does is humanitarian rescue — to see if the person's life is in danger (dehydration, disease, excessive fatigue, etc.).

Then they were sent to the detention center for unified management. Here, the basic living needs of food and housing can be met, and there is also entertainment life such as playing ball and cards, but there is not much personal freedom.

Here they inquired about the registration of the detained persons one by one to see if there was any possibility of repatriation.

For people who have proved to be Chinese (holding a Chinese passport), they are not treated like informants from South American countries. They have little chance of being deported. (How many flights and how much does it cost to be repatriated to China?) In addition, the reality is that as long as the person concerned applies for asylum, no matter what the reason for the application, it will enter another judicial procedure.

First of all, you are free. Not only will you be released, but you will also be issued a work permit—so that you can support yourself on your own. That is to say, you can legally find any job or even start a business. And your children can also study in the United States for free, including free meals at school.

As long as you rent even a small shabby room in a good school district, your children can also go to primary and secondary schools with full marks.

If your application for asylum is not approved, you do not need to worry about legal status. Because you can appeal level by level, and the delay lasts for several years, and the US government will continue to issue work permits to you during the process.

Many informants refer to this process as "reporting" to the USCIS.

But for those who were not caught when entering the country, they could only work illegally - without a work permit. Therefore, there are many people who take the initiative to "report" to the immigration bureau after entering the country-that is, they call the police directly, saying that they are smuggled from Mexico and need help now. Then report your location, and the police will come and take you to the immigration office. Then you apply for asylum, so that you can get a legal right to work.

Of course, there are also some successful people who have successfully entered the country, taking the lead and trying to obtain legal status by opportunistic means. A few days ago, this kind of thing caused a lot of trouble in the American Chinese circle——

Some informants without work permits went to work in Chinese restaurants. Take the initiative to accept the salary offered by the boss which is lower than the statutory salary. Some people even offered to cut their wages. The original salary was 120 to 130 US dollars a day, but they voluntarily reduced it to 80 US dollars. At the beginning, some Chinese bosses were quite happy and hired these people in order to save money, but they did not expect the corresponding troubles to surface soon.

After these people got their wages, they reported the Chinese boss to the US Bureau of Labor Affairs. It has to be said that they have won the current way of reporting in China. It is said that once the labor bureau accepts the dispute case, the undocumented workers can obtain legal immigration status as victims. This situation is now known as the "salary-cut trap".

And this kind of behavior is tantamount to blocking the livelihood of other new Chinese immigrants who are willing to work hard. It was a mouse that broke a pot of porridge.

In fact, these people don't understand at all—only people who have been criminally persecuted in the United States can obtain U visas to stay in the United States legally as victims. This does not apply to labor dispute cases.

All in all, for people who smuggle into the United States, whether you are caught or not, if your goal is to obtain a legal status and work for a few years, it is too easy to do.

05

How big is the group of informants?

To be honest, it is difficult to have accurate statistics. Because most of these people do not want to meet people, they live underground, and it is difficult to be counted if they do not want to.

When I went to donate items that day, I specifically asked the staff on site this question. They told me that there are about 4,000 to 5,000 people in the Los Angeles area. Most of them live in bed-based guesthouses—thirty or so in a house. Calculate the money per person per day, and a bed is 15 dollars a day.

In more than two hours that day, about 200 people came to collect supplies. That said, the long line of wires I saw that day was just the tip of the iceberg.

I believe that there are more informants who went to find relatives and friends to find classmates after entering the United States. They would not live in such harsh conditions and look for a livelihood like those people I met that day.

If the figure of 4,000 to 5,000 people in Los Angeles is close to the truth, then the total number in the United States will be an astonishing one.

Because once "registered" with the USCIS, their movements are free. With their Chinese driver's licenses, they can drive rented or bought cars around the United States, and with their passports, they can also board planes and fly around the United States. After obtaining the work permit, they can also change the place of work at any time anywhere in the United States.

The cities where the governor of Texas sent his informants away were New York, Washington, Chicago, not including Los Angeles.

In addition, there are many Chinese cultural people who hold valid visas in the United States and can enter the United States without going through the wires. But before they entered the country, they were prepared not to leave after this entry.

A 60-year-old freelance writer expressed this to me: My children are grown up and don’t need me to take care of them. I choose to do this for nothing but to gain a piece of freedom.

Some Weibo friends know that I specialize in U.S. immigration and visas, so they directly send me WeChat messages to clarify the truth—my colleague has gone to the wire, and I have weak legs, and I want to enter the country as a tourist, via Singapore. Please help me....

The number of these cultured people who smuggled into the country and stayed illegally will be very alarming. One important reason is that what is happening now is just the beginning. This tide is in the ascendant. As more and more people find their way to the United States and understand the way of living in the United States, the number of Chinese cultural people staying in the United States in the short term will be unimaginable.

epilogue

This scene can't help but remind people of the tide of Chinese smuggling into Hong Kong more than half a century ago. The smuggling of those people who risk their lives is not just an economic consideration.

This also makes people think of the Puritans who went to the New World of America after going through hardships in the 1760s. They risked their lives, traveled thousands of miles, and braved the wind and waves to come to this strange land. Reinvent your own life.

Many years ago, countless people imagined this scenario—there is no land border between China and the United States. If there is a border, how many Chinese people will walk to the United States just like the Mexicans.

Now there are too many different routes to fly from China to South America, and the rest of the journey after the flight is the passage of land borders. There is a 3,145-kilometer border between the United States and Mexico. What can the United States do to block it?

On May 11, the United States will officially cancel the border control policy implemented due to the epidemic. This is another huge benefit for the tens of thousands of people who are walking on the road to the United States.

Although this wave of smuggling of Chinese cultural people has just begun, it is already overwhelming. The reasons and the far-reaching effects of this are worthy of our in-depth study.

路已打通！国人正随南美大军源源不断走进美国——中国文化人偷渡的大幕已经拉开

关注美国的人都知道特朗普当政时期最重要也是最受争议的一个举措就是在美国南部边境建墙——在美墨边境线建一道数千公里的墙以阻挡从墨西哥方面源源不断地走入美国的南美各国偷渡大军。

2021年特朗普总统下台，使得这项宏大的建墙工程中断下马。拜登政府在防犯偷渡上的不作为加之口口声声的人道救援使得偷渡美国大潮逾演逾烈。今年一至几月，每个月都有超过十万人走入美国。（用以前用过的夜视镜拍摄的视频）。这使得拥有最长美墨边境线的德克萨斯州苦不堪言。州长不得不痛下狠手每周派车把这些偷渡入境者送至声称自己为庇护城市（意为欢迎难民）的纽约、芝加哥、首都华盛顿等地。（相关链接：让奥巴马和副总统都开门迎客吧——致拜登总统的一封信）

有统计表明，在截至2022年9月的一年之内，有超过276万人未经法律手续就试图从墨西哥入境！这个数字已与一些国家的总人口数相当。这也创下有史以来的人数计录。美国共和党人士称这是拜登政府引发的国境危机。

不知从哪天起，这支每天都在行走入境美国的洪流中开始出现黄皮肤黑眼睛的中国人。

而且从去年末以来形势更是急转直下——这支偷渡大军中的中国人与日俱增。据知情者说，到今年三月，位于巴拿马的难民营已基本被中国人占领，有当地的拍摄者看到一天拉了10多车人，绝大多数乘客都是中国人。他们现在正走在前往美国的路上。

另据巴拿马政府公布的数据，今年1月至3月间，有3855名中国移民通过南美洲和中美洲之间地势险峻的“达连隘口”，以美国为目标持续前进。

随着中国护照免签的南美国家的增多，对于想要偷渡美国的人来说，远隔万里太平洋的中美路程都可以一步先飞行至离美国很近的南美几国。厄瓜多尔就是目前很多国人选择的一个重要落地国。

换句话说，对于国人来讲，现在只需买一张联程机票（国内目前没有直通这些国家的航班）落地南美小国，剩下的就是一场由蛇头带队，随大流的徒步长征，然后即可走进美国。

这样的偷渡客现在有了一个全新的名字——走线人。

今天这个时代，信息传播的速度已不再是一传十，十传百，而是瞬间爆发性地几何级数增长。这就是为什么只用了短短三个月左右的时间，中国人就已成为这支夜以继日、奔腾不息的滚滚洪流中的生力军。

夜视镜拍到500多非法移民在一夜之间鱼贯而入德克萨斯州的边境

至此，一个全新型态的国人偷渡美国的大幕已经拉开！

这些中国走线人都是什么背景？他们这一路上都经历了什么艰辛和风险？他们入境美国后何去何从、怎样生存？他们现在最需要的是什么帮助？在美的华人对他们又秉持什么态度？

在接下来的文字里，我将依据我的亲历、采访和调研对上述问题给出答案。从而让人看到这个势不可挡的、令人惊愕的现象。进而思考这背后的成因及给这个时代带来的影响。

01

直击众多中国走线人

今年三月，我已从多种途径了解到从美国南部边境偷渡的人流中出现了越来越多的中国人面孔。

四月的一天，我的微信中突然出现了这样一条信息——

@all：本周日04/23下午2:00开始救助发放爱心活动，义工请于1:00到达现场，地址在蒙市林肯酒店后面的露天停车场。@所有义工们：任何家裡多余的日用品、洗漱用品、小家用电器、棉被、衣物、鞋子、背包、食物等都可以捐赠。衣物鞋子背包被褥需要乾淨整洁，没有破损、污垢、严重掉色，请在家堆叠整齐并送至发放地点或自行发送；小家用电器请先试用确认工作并擦拭干净；现金捐赠者请联系组织者领取购物清单并自行购买运送到发放现场，或联系义工帮助购买运送服务，另外去现场发送的朋友请自备折叠桌以便摆放分发物品。当日义工参加者请于下午1:00提前到达林肯酒店后面的露天停车场，听从组织者统一安排，请大家放下立场成见心怀感恩救助同胞，謝謝大家爱心公益鼎力相助。

非常感谢您们的支持！您们的付出让同胞永远铭记在心的。

这个捐助活动的地点就在洛杉矶被称为小台北市的蒙特利公园，距我家仅三十分钟的车程。所以我马上行动，嘱咐老婆收拾可以捐赠的衣物，同时准备按时行动，去把物品直接送到这些同胞的手中。

一到现场我就被眼前的场景惊到了——前来领取捐赠物品的人如此之多，一条长长的队伍绕着酒店大楼排开，竟然一眼望不到尾。

这些人有男有女，年长者50来岁，年幼的也就十岁出头。他们一个个衣着干净整洁，神情举止安然有序。完全不像想象中的“走线人”那种历尽艰辛、狼狈不堪的样子。

他们都是什么背景的人？他们主要来自哪个省市？

——带着这个疑问我找到了一直在组织这种系列捐赠活动的负责人琳达和希萌。

他们在现场带着一群志愿者紧张地忙碌着——指导这些走线人排队，有序地向捐赠物品领取地放人。帮助、搬运和发放捐赠物资等。

那一望无际的走线人的队伍，被每4、5个人一组放过来，自行挑选捐赠物资，义工们高声叫着：“每人限领4件物品。”

这些日子与众多走线人直接交谈过的琳达告诉我：这些人来自山东、江苏、浙江、湖北、陕西等多个省份。他们原来在国内都有自己不错的职业。其中很多人都带来了他们自己的中国驾照，说明他们在中国属于有车一族。

他们都以普通话交流。很多人都可以使用电脑，有些人还可使用英语——他们可以上网为自己的孩子申请美国学校。也为自己申请到“白卡”——美国政府给他们这样人的提供的福利。甚至可以找好政府给他们提供的免费的律师给自己打官司。

我也注意到了，眼前这些人确实是有文化的人。在领取捐赠物品的地方，有的人居然蹲在地上去选择捐来的各种书籍。

琳达还说，他们虽然职业各异，但这些走线人已完全不像之前的偷渡客——清一色的福建农民。他们有中学教师、工程师，有保险经纪人和做金融的，甚至还有很多自己开过公司……

总之这些人最大的特点就是——他们都是文化人。

02

这些走线人现在最需要什么？

“最缺的还是食品。”捐赠活动的一个组织者对我说。这也是为什么捐来的现金还是最多地购买了方便面和面包。

当然还有鞋子。这些走线人是一路跋山涉水走过来的。他们不知道已经走烂了多少鞋子。今天我就在现场看到了很多捐献的尺码不一的全新的休闲鞋，那都是琳达刚刚从Costco买来的。

还有两样他们最需要的东西是常人想不到的——一是电热水壶，琳达说，“这种插电就能烧水的壶很缺，我们都不够发的，所以现在也只能优先提供给那些孕妇使用。”

也许你会对此有疑问——难道这些天南海北跋涉两个来月，穿山越岭地走线人中还有孕妇吗？

是的。孕妇就更要来！因为他们要把孩子生在这片土地上。生完的孩子就立刻获得美国公民的身份。这样他的终身就有了保障。而且以后还可以以公民的身份为父母（即便在美国是黑身份）申请绿卡。

从这点上看这些走线人也是非常懂美国的——美国的医院是不会因为你没有钱就不给你就医，不给你接生的。

还有一种他们缺的东西就是那种学生书包一样的双肩包——今天洛杉矶一位王大律师捐的一千美金就都刚刚买了这东西。我看到一叠叠崭新的双肩背包放在捐赠物品领取处的条桌上。

我禁不住好奇地问：“他们中有这么多上学的孩子吗？”——“不是。大人也用这个。”琳达告诉我。

我猛然醒悟了——他们每天要背着水和食物出门找生计。因为这一天下来不知道什么时候才能吃上一口饭。所以他们要把基本的食品和水都背在身上。

我再次打量着这些排成一长队，缓缓地向前移动的人们，又发现了一个现象——他们几乎人人都戴着口罩！这在已经官宣新冠疫情结束的美国显得十分奇怪。但我马上明白了——他们毕竟是偷渡客，而且是来领取免费捐赠物品的，他们不希望有人看到他们的面孔。

03

千辛万苦的走线经历

有谁了解这些走线人是怎样做出的以这种方式偷渡的决定？而且还是拖家带口，甚至带着怀孕的妻子和年幼的孩子？他们在入境美国之前又都经历了怎样的日日夜夜？

“今年1月，在哥伦比亚附近波涛汹涌的水域，一艘挤满人的快艇在夜里航行。曾在上海从事健身教练工作的黄先生置身其中。

汹涌的海浪溅得他浑身湿透，他很怕船会翻掉。他说他用手机打了一封告别信，如果情况看起来他无法活着到达巴拿马海岸，然后继续在丛林中长途跋涉，他将把这封信发给他在国内的父亲。

黄是冒着拘留、溺水、抢劫的风险，穿越八个国家抵达美国南部边境的一大批中国人中的一员。他们选择的是数十万委内瑞拉人、古巴人、以及其他国家人走过的路。

黄先生说，在中国看不到任何希望了。但凡有其他办法，谁愿意背井离乡？”

——《华尔街日报》4月17日

请听听一个个走线人的亲口自述——

——一路上跋山涉水要穿越七、八个甚至十多个国家。要面对各种关卡、危险甚至死亡，我那一条小铁皮船，装三十多人，在漆黑的加勒比海上，就像一片树叶那样漂浮。我后面的一个船就翻了，死了两个人。我们在海上要漂五个多小时。

——蛇头是分段工作的。你不知道每一段会出现什么风险。从一个小镇到另一个小镇，一个蛇头把我们送到一个地点，拿了650美金他人就消失了。你就只有在那里焦心等待下一段蛇头的出现。

——遇到一些国家的警察，他们会来搜身。而实际上他们就是来抢钱。我身上的120美元就被一个警察搜走。除了钱外，他们还抢东西，我老婆的一个iPad 也被他们抢走了，在那种地方你是没理可讲的，你是敢怒而不敢言。

——到了巴拿马的登山点后，要翻两天一夜的山。就在热带雨林中，那个丛林中没有吃的，全是蚊虫的叮咬，有一种蚊子叫吸血蠓虫。很小的蚊子。咬了你以后就是一个小血点，当时不怎么痛，但随后就奇痒无比。要痒一个月才退去。

——丛林中都是烂泥，很累啊，一掉队就可能死了。我儿子就走不动了，花钱靠蛇头去背。我就花了370美元让他背我儿子过峡谷。你不花这个钱就会死在里面的。再多两个小时我也就走不出来了。我就会掉队，就会死亡。

还有中国人在那里被抢劫，然后你如果迷路一两天也就会死在那里。

来自国际移民组织的数据显示，在走入美国的大军之中，每年都有上万人死亡和失踪。所以你要想清楚——当你决定了走线去美国，你确定可以活着到达目的地吗？

04

走线人入境后的命运

30多年前，我曾在纽约的中餐馆里打工。店里除了老板和收银员外是清一色的福建偷渡来的。我和这群同胞朝夕相处了几个月的时间。

这些偷渡来美的福建农民在入境美国前就已经无比清楚自己入境后的境地和未来，而且是几十万人都是一模一样的路数——如果偷渡时不被抓到，就直接进中餐馆打工。如果被抓到了也是马上申请庇护，这样就可以被放出来再去打工。他们每人都是从中餐馆打杂做起，一步步上升做到“炒锅”（即餐馆掌勺的大橱）。每天13个小时，一周六至七天的苦工。4、5个甚至6、7个人挤在一间上下铺的小鸽子笼的屋中。先是挣钱还偷渡费（之前是由在美国亲友联名担保），然后再攒钱、往家寄钱。干上8到10年，拿到足以在家乡盖上一个小洋楼的钱，然后就大功告成、衣锦还乡了。

今天的走线人可就完全不同了。他们由于都是文化人，所以远没有福建农民那种吃苦耐劳的秉性。

当然，这两者不同点还在于，对于福建农民来说，他们没有知识，没有技能，更不通英语。所以偷渡来美在中餐馆打工挣钱是他们改变自己宿命，给家人提供一种改天换地生活的唯一方式。

而今天这些走线人却时时刻刻在和自己原来的生活做着比较。即便是当时一冲动走上了这条充满风险的路，真实生活展开后每天的艰辛和痛苦也都在挑战着他们忍受的极限。

因此不乏有人在走线途中就自动放弃了。最常见的就是在墨西哥买张机票回国了事。

当然也有一批人已经走线成功进入美国，甚至已辗转到达好找工作且时常有同胞来救助的洛杉矶，但还是觉得吃不得这份苦而买机票回国的。

可以说这些文化人入境美国后的生存方式是千差万别的。

那么对于大多数有心在美国生存下去的人来说，他们怎么解决自己身份的合法性呢？这就要说到美国对于偷渡客的处理程序了。

走线人在美国边境只有两种可能，一是被抓，一是入境成功。我们先说被抓的情况。

当偷渡客被抓后，美国边境巡逻队第一个要做的是人道主义救援——看看人有无生命危险（脱水、疾病、过度疲劳等）。

然后是送往拘留所统一管理了。这里就管吃管住基本生存需求都能满足，并且还有娱乐生活如打球、打牌，只是没有多少人身自由。

在这里他们对被拘留的人员一一询问登记，看看有没有遣返回国的可能。

对于已经证明是中国身份（持中国护照）的人来说，可就不是南美国家走线人的待遇了。他们几乎没有被遣返的可能。（遣返回中国要飞多少航班，要花多少钱？）另外现实的情况是只要当事人提出庇护申请，那不管是什么理由的申请，就都会进入到另一种司法程序了。

首先你人身自由了，不仅被放出来，还会发放工作许可——让你可以自食其力养活自己。也就是你可以合法找任何工打甚至去创业。而你的孩子也可以免费在美读书包括在校享受免费用餐。

只要你在好学区租上一个哪怕再小的陋室，你的孩子也可以上满分十分的中小学。

如果你申请的庇护没有被批准，你也无需担心合法身份的问题。因为你可以一级级上诉，一拖就是几年，而在此过程中美国政府都会持续给你发放工作许可。

很多走线人把这个程序称作到移民局“报道”。

而对于入境时没有被抓住的人却只能打黑工——没有工作许可。所以不乏有人入境后主动去移民局“报道”——就是直接打电话给警察，说自己是墨西哥偷渡来的，现在需要帮助。然后再报上自己的位置，警察就会过来把你带到移民局去。然后你就申请庇护，这样就可以得到一个合法打工的权利。

当然也有些入境成功者剑走偏锋，试图用投机取巧的方式拿到合法身份。前些天这种事就在美国华人圈闹得沸沸扬扬——

一些没有工作许可的走线人到中餐馆打工。主动接受了老板提供的低于法定工资的薪酬。甚至还有人主动提出降薪，原来一天工钱120至130美元，他们自愿降至80美元。一开始一些华人老板还挺高兴，为了省钱就请了这些人，但没想到相应的麻烦很快浮出水面。

这些人拿到工资后就向美国劳工局举报华人老板。不得不说他们深得当前中国举报之道。据称，一旦劳工局受理纠纷案，无证劳工就能以受害者的身分获得合法移民身分。这种情况现在已被称为“降薪圈套”。

而这种行为也等于把其他愿意辛苦干活的华人新移民的生路都堵死了。正是一只老鼠坏了一锅粥。

其实这些人是根本不懂——美国只有遭到刑事迫害的人才可能以受害者的身分，获得U签证合法留美。而劳工纠纷案对此并不适用。

总而言之就一句话，对于偷渡来美的人，不管你是被抓没被抓，如果你的目标是获得合法身份打几年工，那可是太容易做到了。

05

走线人是多大的一个群体？

说句实在话，这很难有准确的统计。因为这些人大多不愿见人，他们在地下生活，不愿也很难被统计到。

那天我去捐赠物品，就专门问了现场的工作人员这个问题。他们告诉我现在洛杉矶地区大概有四、五千人。他们大多数居住按床位算钱的家庭旅馆中——三十人左右住一所房子。每人每天算钱，一个床位一天15美金。

那天的两个多小时中，来领物资的大约是200来人。也就是说我那天看到那支长长的走线人队伍只是冰山的一角。

我相信还有更多的走线人在入境美国后去投亲靠友找同学去了，完全不至于像那天我见过的那些人那样在如此恶劣的条件下集中居住并寻找生计。

假如洛杉矶一地四、五千人这个数字接近真实，那全美就会是一个惊人的总数。

因为一旦在美国移民局“登记”过，他们的行动是自由的。凭着自己的中国驾照就可以开着租来或买来的车在美国到处行走，凭借自己的护照他们也可以在美国各地登机飞行。而拿到工作许可后，他们也是可以在全美任何一个地方随时更换打工地点。

那些被德州州长派车送走线人的城市是纽约、华盛顿、芝加哥，还不包括洛杉矶。

除此之外，还有很多中国的文化人，他们手拿美国有效签证，无需走线就能入美。但他们入境前就已准备好此次入境后就不再离开。

有一位年届60的自由撰稿人就对我表明此意：我的孩子也都已成人，无需我在身边照顾，我选择这样做不为别的，就为获得一份自由。

还有的微友知道我专业做美国移民和签证，就直接给我发微信挑明真意——我的同事走线去了，我脚力不行，想以旅游身份入境，取道新加坡。你给帮帮忙吧。

……

这些偷渡入境和非法滞留的文化人的数字会非常惊人，一个重要原因是现在正在发生的这一切只是刚刚拉开了一个序幕。这股大潮方兴未艾。随着越来越多的人找到走线美国的通路，并且了解在美的生存方式，在短期未来这个中国文化人滞留美国的数字将不可想象。

结语

这个情景不禁让人想起半个多世纪前国人偷渡香港的大潮。那些人舍生忘死的偷渡绝不仅仅是经济方面的考虑。

这也让人想到十七世纪六十年代，那些历经艰辛奔向美洲新大陆的清教徒们。他们拿出自己的生命一搏，不远万里，乘风破浪来到这片陌生的土壤。重新开创自己的生活。

多少年前就有无数人设想过这种情景——中美之间也就是陆路不接壤，如果接壤，会有多少国人会像墨西哥人一样溜达着就走到美国境内。

现在从中国飞到南美已经有太多种不同的路径，而飞来后剩下的路程就是陆路接壤的通行。美墨有3145公里的边境线，美国能有什么办法去阻断？

5月11日，美国将正式取消因疫情而实施的边境管控政策。这对于数以万计的正行走在通往美国大路上的人们又是一巨大的利好。

这一波中国文化人偷渡大潮虽然刚刚开始，但已经势不可当。这其中的原由和带来的深远影响值得我们深入研究。