In early June, in cities across the U.S., immigration agents arrested more than two dozen Chinese nationals with unfulfilled deportation orders, telling them that after years of delay, China was finally taking steps to provide the paperwork needed to expel them from the U.S.
But, not for the first time, China failed to provide the necessary documents, and three months later not one of those arrested has been deported, with many having been released from custody. They form part of a backlog of nearly 39,000 Chinese nationals awaiting deportation for violating U.S. immigration laws, 900 of them classified as violent offenders, according to immigration officials.
The issue, which is likely to come up during a state visit to Washington later this month by Chinese President Xi Jinping, has further strained a U.S.-China relationship already frayed by tensions over economic policy, suspected Chinese cyberhacking and Beijing's growing military assertiveness.