Chinese migrants are paying a hefty price for fleeing the Communist nation for freedom in the United States.
Foreign affairs analyst and author Gordon Chang told Newsmax on Friday that each Chinese migrant must pay up to $35,000 to smuggling and drug cartels to make the perilous journey from Ecuador, where they fly to because an entry visa is not required, to Colombia, through the dangerous Darien Gap, into Panama and northward through Mexico to the U.S.
He said there have been unconfirmed reports the price is as high as $40,000.
"The Chinese migrants are really enriching the cartels," Chang told "The Record With Greta Van Susteren." "And that, of course, gives us more problems at our border because we deal with the cartels not just on migrants, but on fentanyl and so many other issues."
Chang, author of "The Coming Collapse of China," said the majority of Chinese migrating to the U.S. are doing so in search of freedom but also because of the dire situation in the Communist nation.
"Certainly, people want to live in a free society, so they do want democracy," Chang said. "They realize that China is now a totalitarian dictatorship.
"But I think the reason they're coming now is because of the severe problems in China. As one migrant told a news organization, 'This is like an animal stampede before an earthquake,' and that is probably the best explanation."
But Chang also cited reports that an increasing number of Chinese migrants are males of military age who are making the journey without any family members.
"Those we've got to worry about as being saboteurs, either Chinese military or Ministry of State Security," Chang said.
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