McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Xin Zhao left the courtroom in tears.
Zhao had traveled from China to the United States, searching for a way to support her son and her sick mother. After crossing the Rio Grande, however, Zhao was arrested by Border Patrol and charged with illegal entry.
“If I had other ways,” Zhao said Thursday morning, when she appeared before a federal judge in McAllen, “I would not have come here.”
Zhao couldn’t make a living in China, said her attorney, Assistant Federal Public Defender Abel Guerrero.
“She was coming here to seek a better life,” Guerrero said. “And support her child.”
Zhao arrived in the United States on Tuesday, when she rafted across the Rio Grande. Border Patrol detained Zhao and several other migrants near Roma.
The Texas Department of Public Safety posted a photo of her on X, the social media network formerly known as Twitter.
A K-9 named Zita “successfully led troopers and agents to four female illegal immigrants, including one special interest alien from China,” wrote Lt. Christopher Olivarez, a spokesman for the department. “All four were taken into custody and turned over to Border Patrol.”
Border Patrol charged Zhao with illegal entry, a federal misdemeanor. She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Juan F. Alanis on Thursday morning.
As her attorney explained why Zhao left China, she began to cry. Alanis asked if someone could hand Zhao a tissue.
Zhao’s hands remained cuffed to a chain around her waist. She struggled to wipe her eyes.
“Ms. Zhao, let me give you a moment to compose yourself,” Alanis said.
Asked if she wanted to speak, Zhao told Alanis about her family.
“Life is really hard back home,” Zhao said.
Alanis sentenced Zhao to time served — the two days she’d already spent in jail.
Zhao bowed and left the courtroom, tears streaming down her face.
With the criminal case behind her, Zhao headed to a detention center for people without legal status in the United States. Whether she’ll be sent back to China remains unclear.
“In my experience, people in her situation seek asylum,” said attorney Carlos M. Garcia of McAllen, who practices both criminal and immigration law.
If her asylum claim is successful, Zhao may stay in the United States. If not, she could be deported.
China doesn’t usually accept people deported by the United States, leaving them in legal limbo.
“In that situation, this person would likely be detained,” Garcia said, “And the United States government would — based on recent history — see if they could remove this person to a third country.”