The United States sent a group of migrants back to China on the first large deportation flight there since 2018, and said on Tuesday that it was working with Chinese authorities to arrange additional flights.

美國用2018年以來的首個大型遣返航班將一批移民送回中國，並於週二表示，正在與中國當局合作安排更多航班。

The deportation, on a charter flight, took place over the weekend in coordination with Chinese authorities, the Department of Homeland Security said. The department confirmed that 116 people from China were deported.

國土安全部表示，這次遣返行動是與中國當局協調後，在週末採用包機形式完成的。該部門證實，116名中國籍人士被驅逐出境。

U.S. and Chinese authorities were working together on additional removal flights, the statement said.

聲明稱，美國和中國當局正在合作安排更多的遣返航班。

The announcement comes during an intense debate about immigration and border policy in the lead-up to the U.S. presidential election in November. Since last year, a growing number of Chinese migrants has made the journey into the U.S. through its southern border, hoping to escape bleak economic prospects and political oppression.

這一聲明是在11月美國總統大選前就移民和邊境政策展開激烈辯論之際宣布的。自去年以來，越來越多的中國移民通過美國南部邊境進入美國，希望逃離黯淡的經濟前景和政治壓迫。

Many follow a route made popular on social media that takes them through the treacherous Darién Gap on the border of Panama and Colombia, the only land route north from South America as migrants head to the United States. Once they arrive at the southern border, they surrender to U.S. border officers and apply for asylum, citing a credible fear if they are sent back to China.

許多人走的是一條因社群媒體而廣受歡迎的路線，他們穿越巴拿馬和哥倫比亞邊境上險象環生的達連隘口，這是移民從南美向北前往美國的唯一陸路。一旦到達南部邊境，他們就向美國邊境官員自首並申請庇護，理由是如果被遣返回中國，他們對可能面臨怎樣後果會產生可信的恐懼。

On Monday, the U.S. government announced that it had signed an agreement with Panama aimed at halting the flow of migrants through the Darién Gap. The United States will provide funding and training for the new flight removal program, the State Department said.

週一，美國政府宣布與巴拿馬簽署了一項協議，旨在阻止移民通過達連隘口流入巴拿馬。美國國務院表示，美國將為這項新的遣返計劃提供資金和培訓。

Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said in a statement that the Chinese government “has carried out international law enforcement cooperation with the immigration law enforcement departments of relevant countries to repatriate people involved in smuggling activities,” adding that it has sent them “to their original places of residence, and pursued their legal responsibility in accordance with the law.”

中國駐華盛頓大使館發言人劉鵬宇在聲明中表示，中國政府「同有關國家移民執法部門開展了國際執法合作，遣返參與偷渡活動的人員」，並稱已將他們「送回原居住地，並依法追究法律責任」。

In the 2023 fiscal year, more than 24,000 Chinese migrants were temporarily detained on the U.S. southern border, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection — more than in the preceding 10 years combined.

據美國海關與邊境保護局的數據，在2023財政年度，有超過2.4萬名中國移民在美國南部邊境被暫時拘留，比此前10年的總和還要多。

Last year, Chinese migrants became the fourth-largest group crossing into the U.S. that way, exceeded only by Venezuelans, Ecuadoreans and Haitians, according to Panama immigration authorities.

巴拿馬移民局的數據顯示，去年，中國移民成為通過這種方式進入美國的第四大移民群體，僅次於委內瑞拉人、厄瓜多人和海地人。