Ever since immigration raids swept Los Angeles in June, Han Lihua, 46, has spent much of his time hiding in his apartment, skipping his Amazon delivery shifts and scrolling on social media to look for nearby sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

In 2022, he fled China, where he ran an independent student newspaper and taught high school literature. He crossed the treacherous Darién Gap on the border of Colombia and Panama before crossing the Southern border of the United States illegally in early 2023.

Now, with the Trump administration carrying out a sweeping immigration crackdown, he is among the Chinese immigrants who say fear has eclipsed their fragile new lives, forcing difficult questions about whether the United States can offer them a better situation after they fled an authoritarian government.

“Everyone is so afraid,” Mr. Han said. “I didn’t expect this would happen in the United States.”

Since China reopened its borders in January 2023 after Covid lockdowns, more than 63,000 Chinese nationals like Mr. Han have fled and crossed the U.S. southern border without authorization, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, making them the fourth-largest group by nationality after migrants from Venezuela, Haiti, and Ecuador. Under Trump’s policies, however, illegal crossings along the southern border have dropped dramatically, reaching 6,000 arrests in June, a low not seen in decades.

Most Chinese immigrants fled strict censorship, growing political repression or Beijing’s zero-Covid policies, which often shut down entire cities for weeks, if not months, trapping people in their homes with little access to food, medical care or work. Those who spoke out against the policies could face harassment or detention. But with the Trump administration’s escalating immigration enforcement, many Chinese immigrants like Mr. Han now confront a question they never imagined they would face: Should they stay or leave?

Huang Xiaosheng, a Los-Angeles-based Chinese immigration lawyer, described the situation as “much harsher” since May, when the Trump administration set a goal of a minimum of 3,000 arrests a day. Securing bail has become nearly impossible, he said.

And dozens of videos of ICE arrests have circulated on Chinese social media, fueling fear among the community, he said.

Some Chinese immigrants “are thinking about their Plan B,” Mr. Huang said. “They’re considering Canada or other countries, or even going back to China.”

Chinese immigrants are far from alone in their heightened fears during the Trump administration. ICE has stepped up arrests across the country of all nationalities, conducting raids in major cities such as San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles. Arrests and detentions have swept through restaurants, courthouses, and other public spaces.

In the past six months, the administration has also deported migrants to third countries that agreed to take them, including Panama, Costa Rica and El Salvador.

Immigration lawyers said Chinese immigrants could face criminal prosecution by the Chinese government if they are deported by the U.S., but those who return voluntarily likely would only be fined.

A little over a year ago, former President Joseph R. Biden arranged the first deportation flight back to China since 2018. China doesn’t usually accept deportation flights, but it again allowed the Trump administration to deport a group of 122 Chinese nationals in June.

“The Chinese government firmly opposes any form of illegal migration,” Mao Ning, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said in January. The ministry said it has cooperated with the United States on repatriation.

Recently, discussions on Chinese social media have centered around questions including “Should I go back?” or “Who has been back?” Users who have left the country often debate the pros and cons of their decisions. They once discussed “runology” — figuring out how to leave China during the lockdowns. Now, they discuss “reverse runology,” or mapping a way back to China.

Experts noted that, despite the online chatter, the number of voluntary returns appeared to be small. They predicted it would likely stay that way, given China’s faltering economy, soaring youth unemployment and stifling censorship that has continue to drive people out — plus any legal consequences of returning.

Xu Feng, who arrived in 2023, said two of his friends returned to China, but he hoped to remain.

Since his arrival, he has toiled in massage parlors, restaurants and now a supermarket in Flushing, a bustling hub for Chinese immigrants in New York City. After work, the 33-year-old regularly attended nine hours of English classes each week. Mr. Xu added that he worked hard, obeyed the law and paid taxes while waiting for his asylum.

“I believe the United States needs human resources like us,” he said. But if arrests continue to target individuals like him, he said, “I’d rather go to other countries or go back to China.”

Mr. Xu’s two friends confirmed their return to The New York Times but declined to be interviewed. Both paid a fine of 1,000 Chinese yuan (about $140), and one of them had their passport confiscated.

“Very few clients have actually gone back to China,” said Chen Chuangchuang, an L.A.-based immigration lawyer. “And they often regretted it after doing so.”

Mr. Chen, whose office in the Fatman Ding Plaza in California, serves as a first stop for some Chinese undocumented immigrants who cross the U.S.-Mexico border. He added that China has a broad definition of illegal border crossing, so entering the United States without authorization can be prosecuted as a crime. One of his client’s family members, deported back to China late last year, was later convicted.

The Trump administration continues to urge their return, saying that illegal immigrants have been sent back home “nearly every day.”

Despite the threats, some are trying to stay hopeful.

“I can’t control the country’s policies,” said Shen Weihao, a 28-year-old who said he fled China after being arrested during a protest in Shanghai. “I can only focus on what I can control.”

Now living in New York, Mr. Shen has enrolled in flight training and hopes to become a pilot.

For Mr. Han, returning home isn’t an option.

Ever since he converted to Christianity in 2016, he said his church faced harassment, surveillance and government orders to terminate activities. Even after he left, the authorities continued questioning his parents and brother back home.

“I can’t go back,” Mr. Han said. “If I do, I’ll probably be thrown in jail.”