The Chaoyang District Police Bureau in Beijing said on July 17, 2017, that it was “hiring 2,464 administrators” to assist officers to check whether residents from outside Beijing had the proper registration documents. The new recruits — all Beijing natives aged 18 to 45 — will also help police carry out door-to-door inspections of homes rented by migrant families. The teams will be looking for “potential safety and fire hazards,” the notice said. The move is the latest in a string of measures aimed at easing the flow of migrants to China’s congested capital. The district plans to cut its population by 142,000 people to 3.71 million by the end of 2017, according to a local government plan. It’s part of a broader plan announced by the Beijing municipal government to cap the city’s population at 23 million people by end 2020. This includes the floating migrant population, with its many “undocumented” workers.It has become a sore subject that has sparked a heated debate on Chinese social media.

(Comment: One internet user commenting on the official microblog of Chaoyang police said: “This is to tell those without a Beijing hukou (household registration) and a home in Beijing to get out.” Another said “There will be only those with royal blood, their relatives and the rich left in Beijing after the poor are forced out.”