Child of Chinese illegal immigrants charged with planting explosive at US military base

ICE DETAINS PRESIDENT OF WISCONSIN'S LARGEST MOSQUE, ALLEGING HE HID CONVICTION FOR ATTACKS ON ISRAELIS
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 on 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 following her return to the U.S.

from China, where she had fled with her brother.

She has been charged with 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 that the siblings attempted to cover their tracks by selling the vehicle to car dealer CarMax.

Despite being vacuumed and cleaned, investigators later discovered trace explosive residue inside the vehicle.

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 is positing that this 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.

WATCH: PRESIDENT TRUMP REVEALS FAMILIES OF SLAIN US SERVICE MEMBERS URGED HIM ‘FINISH THE JOB’
"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, who added that, "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 currently 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.

PETE HEGSETH SIGNS MEMO OPENING DOOR FOR TROOPS TO CARRY PERSONAL FIREARMS ON BASES
The court held oral arguments on the case this Wednesday, with justices appearing 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.

Despite this, Swearer said, "I do think there's a path forward" for a Trump victory, though it would likely be narrow and partial.