The Department of Homeland Security revealed that a suspect who fled to China after allegedly planting a deadly explosive device at a military base is the child of two Chinese illegal immigrants.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Chinese nationals Qiu Qin Zou and Jia Zhang Zheng, both of whom were living in the U.S. illegally, Homeland Security said.
They were arrested after two of their adult children, Ann Mary Zheng and Alen Zheng, were connected to a failed plot to detonate an improvised explosive device (IED) at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida in mid-March.
The base is home to U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, and Special Operations Command, which oversees all special operations forces across the Department of War.
The alleged perpetrators of the attempt were born in the U.S. after their parents illegally entered the country, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
The agency asserted the case “illustrates why the improper recognition of ‘birthright citizenship’ for children of illegal aliens is not only inconsistent with the Constitution, but endangers all Americans.”
Birthright citizenship refers to the principle that anyone born on U.S. soil is automatically granted U.S. citizenship.
The FBI said Alen Zheng, who is believed to have planted the improvised explosive device at MacDill Air Force Base March 10, is currently in China. He is facing charges of attempted damage to government property by fire or explosion, unlawful making of a destructive device and possession of an unregistered destructive device, which carry a potential sentence of up to 40 years in prison.
FBI Tampa arrested Ann Mary Zheng March 17 after her return to the U.S. from China, where she had fled with her brother. She was charged as an accessory after the fact and tampering with evidence, facing up to 30 years in prison.
She is accused of hiding or damaging a 2010 Mercedes-Benz to prevent its use in legal proceedings, court documents show.
Prosecutors allege the siblings attempted to cover their tracks by selling the vehicle to car dealer CarMax. Despite the vehicle being vacuumed and cleaned, investigators later discovered trace explosive residue inside the vehicle.
The day after Ann Mary Zheng’s arrest, ICE apprehended both parents, Qiu Qin Zou and Jia Zhang Zheng. They are in ICE custody, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Both parents applied for asylum in the U.S. but were denied and ordered removed by an immigration judge in 1998, according to the agency.
The Department of Homeland Security said the Bureau of Immigration Appeals denied multiple attempts by the parents to have their case reopened. Despite this, both remained living in the U.S. illegally for nearly three decades.
The department said the case highlights the “grave danger” of current U.S. law granting automatic citizenship to anyone born on American soil, including the children of illegal immigrants.
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After the parents’ arrests, acting Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said “automatically granting citizenship to children of illegal aliens born in the U.S. … poses a major national security risk.”
“That reality became apparent last week when two U.S.-born children of Chinese illegal aliens were indicted for planting a potentially deadly explosive device outside MacDill Air Force Base in Florida,” said Bis.
“This incident underscores the severe national security threat that illegal immigration and birthright citizenship pose to the United States.”
Bis also asserted that the policy of granting automatic birthright citizenship “is based on a historically inaccurate interpretation of the Citizenship Clause” of the 14th Amendment.
The Supreme Court is weighing the constitutionality of an executive order signed by President Donald Trump that would end birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants. Trump signed the order on his first day back in the Oval Office in 2025.
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The court held oral arguments on the case Wednesday, and justices appeared skeptical of Trump’s order.
Amy Swearer, a senior legal fellow at Advancing American Freedom, described the court’s line of questioning as “disappointing” for proponents of Trump’s stance on birthright citizenship.
“Most people understood coming into this, and I suspect even the government understood coming into this, that this was probably going to be a bit of an uphill battle,” Swearer said.
“I do think there’s a path forward” for a Trump victory, though it would likely be narrow and partial.
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