ICE Detains 'Sushi John' the Chinese Spy

In 2016, Ming Xi Zhang, known to his community as "Sushi John," met with members of the Chinese Ministry of State Security in the Bahamas on multiple occasions. On one of those occasions, he was instructed to bring $35,000 to another person in the United States, and he did. He also hosted Chinese government officials in his Princeton, N.J., home several times. 

Last year, he was convicted of "acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government" and pled guilty to the charges. So what did Barack Obama-appointed U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp, who presided over this case, do? Lock him away in jail? Ship him back to China? No, he was released back onto the streets with three years of probation.   

Zhang came to the United States legally in 2000, though I can't confirm his current immigration status. I presume he is not a U.S. citizen because now that we have grownups in charge of the country, he's been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and is "subject to deportation." In other words, we don't just let Chinese spies run amok. 

🚨 BREAKING: Ming Xi Zhang, a convicted Chinese spy, arrested in New Jersey - NYP

ICE may now deport him.

Zhang, known as "Sushi John," 61, owns Ya Ya Noodles in Montgomery Township, NJ.

ICE NEWARK: “Any illegal alien conducting activities related to espionage, sabotage or… pic.twitter.com/syKPd0pl0v

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 12, 2025

According to NJ.com, ICE didn't comment specifically on Sushi John's case, but it did say that it "arrests aliens in the United States in violation of immigration law and aims to uphold the integrity of our immigration system while promoting public safety."   

When he's not betraying the United States, Zhang is slinging Asian food in Montgomery, N.J. The 61-year-old has been the owner of Ya Ya Noodles, an eatery that is apparently beloved by the locals, for well over a decade. It has great reviews on Google, and according to his daughter Emily, who is a U.S. citizen, and one of his employees, the community is rallying around him. 

"The whole town has been really supportive. Everyone’s been coming in, offering phone numbers, talking to his family...everyone’s really supportive," the worker told the New York Post. 

I understand that it must be shocking to this community, but it has never been clearer that China is an enemy of the United States. Why on earth would anyone let someone who admits to working with an enemy of the United States stay in this country? It's kind of a conflict of interest, don't you think? 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote an op-ed for Fox News over the weekend that stated, "Visiting America is not an entitlement. It is a privilege extended to those who respect our laws and values." Working as an agent for the Chinese government doesn't exactly fall in line with our values. 

Rubio also says: 

U.S. visa holders should know in no uncertain terms that the U.S. government’s rigorous security vetting does not end once a visa is granted. Working together with DHS and other law-enforcement and security agencies, we continuously monitor and review these cases. This vigilance is essential because circumstances can and do change. For example, visas may be revoked if the visa holder has engaged in violent crime or drunk driving, supporting terrorism, overstaying the time permitted for their visit, performing illegal work -- or anything else that violates the terms on which we granted them this privilege or compromises the safety of our fellow Americans. When information about such activities comes to the department’s attention, our expert staff review it and assess whether revocation is appropriate.

It makes sense to me. Most countries around the world follow similar processes. Living and working in the U.S. is, indeed, a privilege, and if you're here posing a threat to national security, that privilege should be revoked.  

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