That's the most common claim at the southern border every day. Economic persecution is how its being posited. All she has to do is say she's religious and she will automatically qualify because of China's human rights violations against religion. Her previous stay here on tourist visa will have given her enough time to find Jesus or whatever and she can be persecuted all day long. Asylum here she comes. It's harder to persecute someone when you share 98% of their lives except you're a despot and a power hungry asshole. That's why most South Americans aren't getting in legally as asylum except economic. There's no reason they should leave their homes except for more money. No one's going to gun them down for existing. We need to take a hard look at our immigration laws, and maybe this couples experience will help that conversation, but for this moment, these rules need to be followed, and I believe saying religious persecution would be more than enough.