U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has apprehended a Chinese national who was convicted of illegally operating as an agent of Communist China within the United States.
On March 24, ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) office in Newark arrested 61-year-old Ming Xi Zhang, a Chinese citizen who had been living in Montgomery Township, New Jersey.
Zhang, who reportedly operated under the nickname “Sushi John,” now remains in ICE custody as deportation proceedings move forward.
ICE officials say Zhang initially entered the U.S. lawfully in June 2000 through Los Angeles International Airport. However, his legal status was ultimately compromised after he violated the terms of his admission and was found guilty of serious federal offenses.
On April 30, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey sentenced Zhang to three years of probation after convicting him of illegally acting as an agent of a foreign government—Communist China—without ever notifying the Attorney General as required under federal law.
The conviction confirms Zhang’s clandestine operations on behalf of the CCP, raising serious concerns about national security and foreign influence.
“Any illegal alien conducting activities related to espionage, sabotage or export control against the United States is subject to deportation,” said ICE Newark Field Office Director John Tsoukaris.
More from the New York Post:
Zhang met with Chinese security officials in the Bahamas in 2016 and delivered $35,000 to an unnamed individual in New Jersey, according to NJ.com. He also admitted to twice hosting a Chinese government agent at his Princeton home that fall.
He’s being held at the Elizabeth Detention Center awaiting immigration proceedings, a worker at his restaurant told the Post on Saturday.
“He’s doing good, I mean, given the circumstances,” the worker said. “But yeah, he’s just kind of waiting… to get let out.”
The community surrounding Zhang’s restaurant has apparently rallied around him and his restaurant in the days since his arrest.
“The whole town has been really supportive,” the worker said. “Everyone’s been coming in, offering phone numbers, talking to his family . . . everyone’s really supportive.”
His arrest comes as ICE ramps up deportations under President Donald Trump’s renewed enforcement push for mass removals and expanded detention authority over illegal immigrants.
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