Experts warn of national security risks after CBP slashes question list for Chinese migrants from 40 to just 5

WASHINGTON – US Customs and Border Protection watered down the screening process for Chinese asylum seekers amid a record surge of such cases — but experts and lawmakers warn the move risks letting national security threats slip through the net.

The CBP slashed the number of questions its processors were required to ask from roughly 40 to just five following an uptick in monthly border crossings by Chinese nationals in the first quarter of 2023, according to an April 30 email published by the Daily Caller this week.

Experts told The Post that while the change was necessary to expedite CBP’s processing of applications, it heightens the prospect of accidentally granting asylum to bad actors from the nation’s top adversary.

“The change in procedure appears to reflect the reality that the volume of Chinese migrants is overwhelming the US immigration control system … [and] should speed up the processing of applicants,” said Timothy Heath, senior international defense researcher at the RAND Corporation think tank.