This book chapter chronologically traces the historical trajectory of migration brokerage in China while examining the function of emigration in creating migration networks.
The research methodology is not discussed in detail. The author mentions performing field work in some villages known for outmigration in Fujian Province in China in 2005 as well as conducting interviews with village locals.
The chapter examines how, from the perspective of ‘helping’ transnational migration, Chinese brokers have basically functioned in two ways: send people in groups or one by one. The chapter explores the two models by describing the case of Israel, as an example of sending people in groups, and the case of North America, as an example of sending individual migrants.
Through an analysis of the famous case of Sister Ping in the United States, a settled Chinese migrant who operated a wide transnational network for bringing Chinese workers, the chapter makes the argument that migration brokerage in China is not evaluated according to its formality or legality but according to its effectiveness. In other words, it is the end result that matters to the migrants, not the fees they paid or the work they had to endure before they become regularized or legal by some other means in the destination country.
The Sister Ping case demonstrates that while the US authorities considered her a human trafficker, in China she was celebrated as a successful migration broker who helped many Chinese to migrate to the United States for what the migrants considered a fair price.
The chapter concludes that while irregular migration is illegal, both sides actually benefit: the Chinese migrants who want to earn more money than they normally receive in China and the destination State that needs cheap labour to increase its profits.
Through the analysis of empirical material, the chapter provides insights into the motivations and activities of Chinese irregular migrants who have made their way to the United States. The chapter makes a contribution to the body of knowledge on the role of migration brokers in facilitating the irregular entry of Chinese migrants to the United States.
