Chinese citizens are using the ocean routes of Ecuadorian migrants to try to reach the United States. This is the conclusion that Ecuadorian authorities have reached, faced with the latest detention of Asian immigrants on Peruvian and Ecuadorian boats.

But, how do Chinese immigrants get to Ecuador?

According to the testimony of detainees, in custody at the Immigration Authority in Guayas [Ecuador], Chinese nationals come from Peru and Colombia, where they arrive by plane. Last week, the Colombian police detained 20 Chinese citizens who were hiding on a farm called “Los Compadres,” in Guacas, in Santa Rosa de Cabal (Colombia).

“We know that they arrived by air in Bogota in two groups, some on May 8th and the rest on May 10th,” said a police official, who explained that the detainees passed through immigration control as Asian tourists, looking to see the natural attractions of the coffee-producing region.

“Despite the fact that they came into the country legally, their stay is now off status, with expired visas. We assumed that they were waiting for the opportune moment to go illegally to the United States, through other countries,” said Colombian police investigators.

Among the clandestine routes is Ecuador, which can be reached by land through its northern border. Migrants then go to the coast to board fishing boats bound for Central America, and from there, through land routes, they go to the United States.

In Colombia, the police keep some of the 180 Chinese immigrants detained in the last two months in hotels, faced with the lack of budget to deport them to China.

The cost of a plane ticket is close to $6,000. According to the police data, a total of 2,279 Chinese nationals entered Colombia in 2006. So far this year, the number is 4,985.

Colombia’s Administrative Department of Security (DAS) also specifies that, in addition to Colombia, there are routes through Peru, Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua.