Immigration authorities cracking down on border crimes

Immigration authorities will crack down on and implement preventive measures addressing smuggling and other border control crimes, the National Immigration Administration said on Wednesday.

According to the statistics released by the NIA, during the first three months of the year, immigration authorities continued to target crimes hindering the management of China's border areas. They handled nearly 7,000 related cases and captured over 10,000 suspects, including 41 accused of being involved in human smuggling who had fled overseas.

The authorities also resolved 216 drug cases, seizing 2.8 metric tons of various narcotics and 30.8 tons of drug-making materials. They also confiscated 118 firearms and seized smuggled goods with a total value of about 36 million yuan ($5.23 million).

Zhang Ning, a spokeswoman for the NIA, said domestic and international criminal organizations at home and abroad have colluded with each other for a long time, using the promise of "quick riches" and "high salaries" to lure Chinese citizens to participate in smuggling, online fraud, gambling and other crimes. Their actions have caused safety hazards and have seriously threatened public security.

The NIA will continue to work with police departments across the nation to resolve border crimes in a timely manner, resolutely destroying smuggling channels and gangs that collaborate at home and abroad, Zhang said.

According to the NIA, immigration authorities inspected about 65 million people entering or leaving the country, including 3.2 million foreigners, and conducted 4.12 million inspections on boats, trains, vehicles and flights during the period.

They also issued about 5.12 million passports, and about 19.1 million entry-exit documents for mainland residents traveling to and from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

The authorities also handled and approved the extension, renewal or re-issuance of visas for more than 4,600 foreigners, as well as residence permits for more than 186,000 foreigners in China during the first three months of this year.

Furthermore, they provided identity authentication services for 7.53 million Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents and overseas Chinese who used their entry and exit documents to participate in social activities.

Zhang said that immigration authorities across the country have optimized border management policies and measures and have made it more convenient for mainland residents to apply for overseas documents to meet the public's growing need to travel abroad.