The horrific consequences as described in this post, would not happen if proper legal immigration policies were followed.

 

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

By Peter Pinedo Fox News April 4, 2026

Officials announce indictments in alleged IED plot at MacDill Air Force Base

DHS asserted the case 'illustrates why the improper recognition of "birthright citizenship" for children of illegal aliens ... endangers all Americans'.

Officials on Wednesday announced indictments against Alen Zheng and his sister, Ann Mary Zheng, in an alleged IED plot at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla. (WTVT)

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.

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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."

 

Jia Zhang Zheng (left) and Qiu Qin Zou (right) are Chinese illegal aliens whose adult children were allegedly behind an attempted bombing at MacDill Air Force Base. (Octavio Jones/AFP via Getty Images; DHS)

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.

 

Ann Mary Zheng was charged as an accessory after the fact and tampering with evidence, facing up to 30 years in prison.  (DHS)

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.