2024-03-14 01:48:00
Congressman: Communist China will never be allowed to exert influence over the U.S. federal government
[The Epoch Times, March 14, 2024](Reported by English Epoch Times reporter Eva Fu/Compiled by Zhang Ting and Lin Yan) On March 11, when Teresa Du (Ms. Du) arrived at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (O’Hare When entering customs at the International Airport, she never expected to face hateful propaganda, the same kind used by the Chinese Communist Party to persecute religious believers.
What’s even more worrying is that the propaganda actually came from a U.S. Customs employee. Customs agents are employed by Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The customs clerk might speak Chinese and had a mainland accent, which gave Ms. Du the impression that he was born in China. He told other customs officers that Ms. Du was “illegal” because of her beliefs. But Ms. Du is an American citizen born in the United States and a native of Texas.
Teresa Du, tour manager of Shen Yun Performing Arts. (Courtesy of Magnifissance)
Ms. Du is a tour manager for the New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts. Shen Yun performs every year around the world. Ms. Du’s troupe has just returned from a performance in Europe, and its next stop will be in Rosemont, Illinois.
Ms. Du told The Epoch Times that the Chinese customs clerk told nearby colleagues, “They are Falun Gong. They engage in politics. They are illegal.” The “they” here refers to Ms. Du and other Shen Yun artists. Ms Du said the man repeated the same words multiple times, creating a hostile atmosphere among other customs officers.
Many Shen Yun artists practice Falun Gong, a spiritual practice that was severely persecuted in communist China. In China, Falun Gong believers risk forced labor, torture, and even organ harvesting because of their persistence in their faith. “Being political” is a propaganda phrase often used by the Chinese Communist regime to attack Falun Gong and any other political dissidents the CCP decides to persecute.
Ms. Du was shocked to hear such remarks in the United States, and the encounter made her shed tears.
Ms. Du said that when the customs agent checked her U.S. passport, he spoke to her in Chinese. This made Ms. Du uncomfortable, so she eventually switched back to talking in English. The customs clerk then asked, “Are you accepting funding from Falun Gong?” Ms. Du refused to answer, and then he allowed Ms. Du to pass through the customs.
“I’m an American citizen, I was born in the United States…I’m coming home,” she said, but “I feel like I’m being verbally attacked and abused.”
Rep. Brian Babin of Texas, the Republican representative in Congress from Ms. Du’s home state, found her experience unbelievable and called for a “thorough investigation” into the matter.
“It is completely inexcusable for an American employee to do such a thing in the United States,” he told The Epoch Times. He added that if the complaint was true, “the customs employee should be fired immediately.”
“We should never allow the People’s Republic of China (PRC) – one of the most authoritarian countries on the planet – to exert influence over our federal government,” he said. PRC is the abbreviation of the People’s Republic of China.
The Epoch Times contacted the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to inquire regarding the behavior of the employee involved. A CBP spokesperson told The Epoch Times, “CBP strictly prohibits making decisions based on race or religion.”
On February 14, 2024, U.S. Congressman Brian Babin (Republican of Texas) spoke at a press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
“Call them all back”
Ms. Du said the Chinese-speaking clerk refused to let her stay nearby to wait for other artists in the group, but that as tour manager it was her responsibility to manage logistics and provide translation help when needed.
Ms Du said the customs officer got up from her seat and “started to approach” her very closely with his body, making her feel threatened.
“No, don’t call me. I know what I’m doing,” Du quoted the officer as saying, “You can’t come here.”
“I was kind of scared because he was really aggressive with me,” she said. “It felt like (he) was going to start.”
Even following a delay in getting through customs, two customs officers once once more stopped the Shen Yun artists at the exit and said something along the lines of, “We can’t let you go because you may have entered the United States illegally.”
At the same time, the Chinese-speaking customs employee suggested to a supervisor to “call them all back.”
The supervisor believed that this move was unnecessary and asked the Shen Yun artists to leave following a brief inquiry.
On March 11, 2022, following arriving at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, passengers collected their luggage at the baggage claim area. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
CCP infiltration raises concerns
U.S. lawmakers and law enforcement agencies have long been concerned regarding attacks on Chinese dissidents in the United States.
The Epoch Times has reported many times before that the Shen Yun Performing Arts Group is the primary target of the Chinese Communist Party’s overseas crackdowns. An internal CCP instruction document obtained by The Epoch Times states: “We must systematically and strategically attack Falun Gong’s overseas headquarters and bases.”
Last year, the FBI arrested two suspected Chinese spies and accused them of trying to bribe a public official tens of thousands of dollars in a scheme to target Falun Gong in the United States.
According to court documents unsealed on May 26, 2023, 70-year-old U.S. citizen John Chen (born in China) and 43-year-old Chinese citizen Feng Lin attempted to “manipulate the IRS through bribery and deception.” ) Whistleblower Program” to deprive an entity operated and maintained by Falun Gong practitioners of their tax-exempt status.
February 15, 2024, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) headquarters in Washington, DC. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)
The information they submitted to the IRS “was flawed on its face and contained propaganda similar to that used by the government of the People’s Republic of China to suppress and harass Falun Gong practitioners,” court documents said.
Chen Jun once made it clear that he was implementing a bribery plan on behalf of the “Chinese government” (CCP), and his ultimate goal was to help the CCP “overthrow” Falun Gong.
This comes following the U.S. Department of Justice arrested two people in New York who were running a secret overseas police station for Beijing. According to the Justice Department, one of the men arrested organized anti-Falun Gong demonstrations in Washington, D.C., during Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States in 2015.
Editor in charge: Lin Yan#
1710390949
#U.S #lawmakers #call #investigation #customs #officers #blocked #Shen #Yun #artists #returning #U.S #Chinese #Communist #Party #propaganda #Epoch #Times
