A restaurateur from New Jersey is currently being held by US immigration and customs enforcement ( ICE ) and facing possible deportation after being previously found guilty of acting as an unregistered agent for the Chinese government.
Ming Xi Zhang, a 61-year-old Taiwanese regional and owner of Ya Ya Noodles in Montgomery Township, was detained on March 24 in Newark, New Jersey, according to the New York Post.
Zhang, who is renowned as” Sushi John,” admitted to acting as a Chinese agent in 2016 without telling the US attorney general, which is a clear violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act in May 2021.
Zhang entered the US legally through Los Angeles International Airport in June 2000, but afterwards “violated the words of his lawful registration.”
According to FAIRUS. Zhang acknowledged meeting with Taiwanese security agents in the Bahamas in 2016 and afterward delivering$ 35, 000 to a man in New Jersey. Additionally, he half hosted a Taiwanese government adviser at his Princeton, Pennsylvania, home. As court documents are sealed, his actions remain a little shrouded in secrecy.
A federal judge sentenced Zhang to three years of probation and a$ 10,000 fine on April 30, 2024. Following the 2021 appeal, his release on a$ 150, 000 friendship was conditional on his release from the United States.
Any illegal alien who uses spy, damage, or import power against the United States is subject to deportation, according to ICE Newark industry department director John Tsoukaris.
He is currently being held in the Elizabeth Detention Center while awaiting multiculturalism hearings. Zhang’s eatery has remained open despite the serious allegations, and the nearby community appears to be supportive. A team member’s statement was quoted by The New York Post as saying,” The entire area has been really supportive.” The representative continued,” Everyone has been coming in, offering telephone numbers, and talking to his home.”
Zhang’s situation is one of several steps taken by the Trump administration to enshrine immigration laws and reduce individuals who pose threats to national security. New prosecutions that coincide with other investigations have raised questions about a growing trend of Chinese citizens attempting to access sensitive US websites, including military installations, according to FAIRUS. nonprofit.
The department of homeland security had recently issued a warning that Chinese-made internet-connected products, such as security cameras, could be used to spy on or obstruct US system.
