ICE Arrests NJ Restaurant Owner Convicted of Being Chinese Agent
Detention follows Trump administration's expanded immigration enforcement
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has detained Ming Xi Zhang, a New Jersey restaurant owner convicted of acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government. Zhang, known locally as 'Sushi John,' was arrested on March 24 in Newark following his April 2024 conviction, for which he received three years' probation. ICE officials stated Zhang legally entered the United States in 2000 but later violated the terms of his admission.
The case involves Zhang's 2016 activities, including meeting with Chinese security officials in the Bahamas and delivering $35,000 to an individual in New Jersey. He also admitted to hosting a Chinese government agent at his Princeton home twice that fall. Zhang is currently being held at the Elizabeth Detention Center awaiting immigration proceedings, while his restaurant reportedly continues to operate with community support.
KEY POINTS
- •ICE arrests Chinese agent in NJ
- •Part of Trump's immigration crackdown
- •Case highlights national security focus
Zhang's detention occurs amid the Trump administration's intensified immigration enforcement efforts, which include expanded detention authority and a push for mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. ICE Newark Field Office Director John Tsoukaris emphasized that any non-citizen conducting espionage-related activities against the United States is subject to deportation, highlighting the administration's focus on national security concerns in immigration enforcement.
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