Why so many middle-class Chinese migrants take risky, illegal route to U.S.

SAN DIEGO -- Midnight on the remote beach of Capurgana, Colombia, was so dark that Wang Zhongwei could not see his own hands in front of his face. About 20 people got into a large wooden canoe as waves battered the sand. This boat ride would take the group into the notorious Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama, through which migrants will trek for days in the jungle toward the U.S. border.

It was a rainy night in May 2023, and Wang, 32, tied his 14-month-old son to his chest while his wife sat behind him. Their 7-year-old daughter sat with her grandparents. Waves repeatedly thrust their boat meters into the air during the two-hour journey. Wang and his wife struggled to keep their infant's face dry with a raincoat while gripping the sides of the boat. All passengers were soaked from head to toe.