I find that US immigration law is extremely liberal compared to China. For example, to use high speed rails, rent an apartment, fly on an airplane or stay at any hotel, Chinese citizens need their ID Card (equivalent of Social Security Card) and foreigners like me need a Passport with current Visa. If my Visa is expired I'm fined roughly $100 per day that I've overstayed, and then I'm deported until I get a current Visa.
Beijing laws are even more strict. Today a friend told me that when he was in Beijing he had a hard time finding a hotel simply because he's a foreigner. He and his colleagues went to 5 or 6 hotels before one accepted them. I Googled it to find out why and read this: "Every foreigner in Beijing checking into a hotel must present a passport and current Visa. That information is then hand-written on multi-part, carbon-paper forms forwarded daily to the PSB, public security bureau, to verify paperwork of foreigners." Apparently many hotels in Beijing hate dealing with the PSB, so they don't allow foreigners.
I've been in China for over two years now and haven't seen or heard of one "undocumented immigrant" yet. Maybe they're here, but from what I've seen, they simply aren't allowed. Sure, having proper documentation is a hassle. But as a guest in China, I've never felt victimized that China enforces their immigration laws.
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