Chinese migrant captured near Bahamas on paddleboard with suitcase after a previous arrest in Florida

The U.S. Coast Guard apprehended a Chinese migrant floating on a paddleboard off the Bahamas, officials said.

The man was spotted about 25 miles off Freeport, Bahamas by the Cutter Seahorse, officials said in a social media post Wednesday. 

Revealed by the U.S. Coast Guard in photos and video was a man paddling with what seemed to be two boards stacked atop each other, carrying a few luggage items secured to them.

The unidentified Chinese national was transported back to the Bahamas, the agency said.

Two alleged smugglers, along with 26 Chinese migrants – nine women and 17 men – were taken into custody, Hudak Jr. said.

The alleged smugglers were of Cuban and Puerto Rican descent and were carrying a firearm, police said.

Illegal immigrants from China have increased in number dramatically over the past several years, Fox News Digital previously reported. 

Between the fiscal years of 2021 and 2024, they accounted for an increase of more than 8,000%. 

This rise coincides with U.S. lawmakers cautioning about China’s impact in South and Central America, as well as the country’s flourishing technology sector presenting national security risks.

President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan has vowed to tackle illegal immigration from “day one.”

Trump recently signed an executive action suspending asylum for those crossing through the southern border. 

Last month, the Department of Homeland Security expanded its use of “expedited removal,” a process that allows U.S. Customs and Border officials to deport individuals without an immigration court hearing or other appearance before a judge.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the U.S. Coast Guard Southeast for comment.

Fox News Digital’s Adam Shaw contributed to this report.