The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently flew over 100 Chinese illegal migrants back to their country, the agency announced.

In a press statement released Tuesday, the DHS explained that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) “conducted a removal flight” carrying Chinese nationals over the weekend. The flight carried 116 Chinese migrants, according to the Associated Press.

The DHS disclosed that the flight was its first large charter flight since 2018. The agency’s statement did not disclose details about the migrants, but it referenced efforts to “reduce and deter irregular migration and to disrupt illicit human smuggling.”

“DHS continues to work with the PRC’s Ministry of Public Security and National Immigration Administration on additional removal flights,” the department said.

“DHS regularly engages counterparts throughout the hemisphere and around the world to accept repatriations of nationals without a lawful basis to remain in the United States and take other steps to reduce irregular migration, promote safe, lawful, and orderly pathways, and hold transnational criminal networks accountable for abusing our lawful trade and travel systems and the smuggling and exploitation of vulnerable people,” the statement read.

“To that end, the United States also welcomes the recent announcement from Ecuador to require visas for passport holders from the PRC given smugglers’ efforts to exploit that route.”

Mayorkas also added that Americans “should not believe the lies of smugglers.”

“We will continue to enforce our immigration laws and remove individuals without a legal basis to remain in the United States,” he said.