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![US deports 116 Chinese migrants in first mass expulsion in 5 years 1 Louise Thomas](https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/support-us/louise-thomas.png)
The US has deported 116 Chinese migrants back home in the first “large charter flight” in five years, the Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday.
The flight, which happened over the weekend, comes as Chinese immigration has become the subject of intense political debate in the upcoming US presidential election.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stated, “We will continue to enforce our immigration laws and remove individuals without a legal basis to remain in the United States.”
The department is working with China to “reduce and deter irregular migration and to disrupt illicit human smuggling through expanded law enforcement efforts.”
Earlier this year, the US and China resumed cooperation on migration issues.
Homeland Security said they are working with China on more removal flights in the future but did not give a timeline for when the next one would happen.
The announcement of the large charter flight comes after Ecuador cut off a key route used by Chinese migrants to get to the Western Hemisphere.
As of 1 July, Ecuador has effectively reinstated visas for Chinese nationals after the South American country said it had seen a worrying increase in irregular migration.