A 61 year old man known as “Sushi John” and owner of Ya Ya Noodles in Montgomery Township, NJ, was arrested by ICE in Newark on March 24, according to the NY Post.
Ming Xi Zhang, 61, was convicted in April 2024 of “acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government” and sentenced to three years’ probation. He had pleaded guilty in 2021 to serving as a Chinese agent in 2016 without notifying the U.S. Attorney General.
According to ICE, Zhang legally entered the U.S. in 2000 but later “violated the terms of his lawful admission.” He is being held at the Elizabeth Detention Center awaiting immigration proceedings, following his recent arrest by ICE amid a broader deportation push under President Trump.
The NY Post writes that in 2016, Zhang met with Chinese security officials in the Bahamas and delivered $35,000 to an unnamed individual in New Jersey. He also admitted to hosting a Chinese government agent twice at his Princeton home that fall, according to NJ.com.
“He’s doing good, I mean, given the circumstances,” a worker at his restaurant told the Post. “But yeah, he’s just kind of waiting… to get let out.”
Since his arrest, local support in the blue state has accelerated. Apparently citizens of New Jersey are just fine with Zhang acting on behalf of the Chinese government.
“The whole town has been really supportive,” the worker added. “Everyone’s been coming in, offering phone numbers, talking to his family . . . everyone’s really supportive.”
No word yet on whether or not it was Eric Swalwell's favorite place to eat when visiting New Jersey...
