transiting through a dozen countries to make it to the border and into America.

透過十幾個國家轉運，來到美國邊境並進入美國。

Leaving China was a decision Kevin felt he had to make to avoid what he called punishment for speaking out against corruption.

Kevin 認為離開中國是必要的決定，以避免他因反對政府腐敗而受到所謂的懲罰。

He says he was jailed twice and allegedly mistreated by authorities.

他說自己曾被中國當局監禁兩次，並遭到虐待。

His family is still in China, that's why we're hiding his identity.

他的家人仍然在中國，這就是為什麼我們隱藏了他的身份。

What was the biggest risk to staying? - I would be going to jail.

留在中國最大的風險是什麼？- 我會進監獄。

You would go to jail? - Yeah, I'll go to jail. Of course.

你會進監獄？- 對，我絕對會進監獄。

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, at least 4,300 Chinese migrants have been caught crossing the southern border illegally in the past five months alone, more than double the total for all of last year.

根據美國海關和邊境保護局的說法，過去五個月至少有 4,300 名中國移民在非法越境南部邊境被抓獲，比去年全年的總數增加了一倍以上。

Kevin told us about his journey that took several weeks by plane, bus, boat, and motorcycle through treacherous jungles in the Darien Gap before ending on foot at this barren section of the border where he finally got through.

Kevin 告訴我們，他的旅程經過了搭乘數周的飛機、巴士、船和摩托車，穿過危險的達利恩峽谷的叢林，最終在這個荒涼的邊境地帶步行通過。

And the migrants we've met, including Kevin, say they aren't paying smugglers.

包括 Kevin 在內的移民們表示，他們沒有付錢給偷渡者。

They're able to do it all with information, maps, and advice readily available on Chinese social media.

他們能夠通過中國社交媒體上隨處可得的資訊、地圖和建議來完成這些行動。

How much information is out there, helping people make the same journey that you made?"

有多少資訊被公開，幫助人們完成你所走過的相同旅程呢？

Oh, they have a lot of information, trust me.

有很多資訊，相信我。

Step by step, it's all there. This is how you get to America.

一個步驟一個步驟，全部都有。就是你到美國的方法。

Yes, of course. Step by step.

沒錯，一個步驟一個步驟。

Chinese social media sites are even giving tips on where to cross. Here in California, it's considered a better bet over Arizona or Texas because of its immigration policies.

中國社交媒體甚至提供了穿越邊境的指示。在加州，由於其移民政策相較於亞利桑那州或德州，被認為是更好的選擇。

So just how much is there at the fingertips of people wanting to leave China for the U.S.?

那麼，有多少人可以輕易地離開中國前往美國呢？

Can you show me the sort of information that's out there online?

你能給我展示一下在網路上有哪些資訊嗎？

Producer Arnie Hekela and I met with John who left his family behind in China.

製作人 Arnie Hekela 和我見了將家人留在中國的 John。

Okay, this is detailing out the Mexico portion. You can see the cities are listed here.

好的，這裡詳細說明了墨西哥部分。你可以看到這裡列出了城市。

It even tells you which buses to take and from where to where.

它甚至告訴你該從哪裡搭乘巴士和從哪開始。

John took us into chat groups on the Telegram app that offer information on everything: where to stay, how to get there, even how much cash they'll need to bring.

John 帶我們進入 Telegram 的聊天群組，群組中提供相關的一切的資訊：住宿地點、如何到達那裡，甚至需要攜帶多少現金。

The new phenomenon is people are trying to make money from this information,

這種新現象是人們試著利用這些資訊賺錢，

so they're giving a little bit of information out at a time, and if you want more information about particular routes or if you get further along in your journey, they're going to demand more and more money.

因此他們每次只會提供一點點的資訊，如果你想獲得有關特定路線的更多資訊，或者當你的旅程進展更深入時，他們就會要求支付越來越多的錢。

What kind of money are we talking about? What is this information worth?

我們說的是什麼錢？這些資訊值多少錢？

At the U.S.-Mexico border, if you want information on where exactly is best to cross, that's going to run between 1300 and 2000 US dollars.

在美墨邊界，如果你想獲得關於最佳路線的準確資訊，需要支付 1300 至 2000美元。

If you want a guarantee that you won't be apprehended by CBP, that's going to run you about ten thousand to twenty thousand dollars.

如果想保證不被美國海關和邊境保護局逮捕，那就需要花費一萬至兩萬美元。

That more Chinese are undertaking such a radical journey with no guarantees in the U.S. comes as the country is emerging from years of harsh zero COVID rules and facing a wilting economy.

更多中國人正在冒著沒有任何保障前往美國的這種驚險旅程，因中國正在因多年嚴苛的清零政策規下面臨經濟萎靡。

I think what we're seeing now are people who are more middle class who just feel that the opportunities are diminishing and that the political situation has just become a lot riskier,

我認為是更多的中產階級感到他們的機會減少，而政治形勢也變得更加危險，

and so they are finding any method, by hook or by crook, to get out of China.

因此他們不計代價地尋找任何逃離中國的方法。

An exodus driven by the power of social media.

由社交媒體驅動的大規模外移。

And NBC's Janice Mackey Frayer joins us now from Beijing live.

現在，我們由 NBC 的 Janice Mackey Frayer 在北京現場連線報導。

Janice, what's happening to these asylum seekers once they get to the United States?

Janice，這些申請庇護的人到達美國後會發生什麼事？

Gotti, the people selling the information on social media will guarantee, for a price, to have someone meet these Chinese migrants at the border.

Gotti，這些在社交媒體上出售資訊的人會收取費用來保證有人會在邊境接待這些中國移民。

Though in a lot of cases, we were told they actually want to be picked up by CBP because that then allows them to begin their asylum process in the U.S.

但在很多情況下，他們告訴我們，其實他們希望被邊境巡邏隊尋獲，因為這樣可以讓他們在美國開始申請庇護。

From there, every situation is different.

從那之後，每個人情況都不同。

Some people will start to work to pay off the debts that they have to family and friends, the money that helped get them there,

有些人會開始工作以償還他們並需歸還給家人和朋友的債務，他們借的這些錢幫助他們到達美國，

while others, like Kevin who you saw in the story, are okay for cash, and that allows time to study English and settle in a bit better.

而其他人，如你看到的 Kevin，則沒有金錢的問題，這讓他們有時間學習英語並好好地安頓下來。

What isn't clear right now is whether this spike in the number of Chinese nationals is actually going to trend higher.

目前尚不清楚中國公民數量激增是否會趨向上升。

China has only just reopened its borders after harsh zero-COVID rules kept the country effectively shut, and that was also a time when most Chinese passports were not being renewed.

中國剛解除了嚴格的清零政策，有效地維持該國封鎖，在那期間大多數中國護照未被更新。

So with more Chinese nationals now able to travel, and with Title 42 expiring in May, there could be more people undertaking this journey.

因此，現在更多的中國公民能夠旅行，而且隨著第 42 條款在五月到期，可能會有更多人踏上這條旅程。

It's something that both Kevin and Zhang told us when we were doing this story that most Chinese are well aware of Title 42 expiring and they predict a rush at the border. Gotti.

這是在我們製作這個故事時 Kevin 和 Zhang 告訴我們的，大多數中國人都很清楚第 42 條款即將到期，他們預測邊境會湧現大量人潮。