The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revealed an attempted explosive attack on a strategic military base in Florida and confirmed the arrest of two Chinese citizens who were illegally residing in the United States, in a case that raised national security and immigration alerts.
The investigation identified Alen Zheng as the prime suspect in placing an improvised explosive device on March 10 in the vicinity of MacDill Air Base, a facility that houses the United States Central Command and the Central Special Operations Command. After the incident, the defendant managed to leave the country and move to China, where he remains at large. The U.S. justice charges him with attempted destruction of government property using explosives, illegally manufacturing a destructive device and possession of an unregistered device, crimes that include sentences of up to 40 years
in prison.
In parallel, FBI agents arrested his sister, Ann Mary Zheng, on March 17, after her return from abroad. Prosecutors accuse her of concealing and manipulating evidence. According to the cause, the woman allegedly tried to eliminate key evidence by cleaning and selling a vehicle used in the act. In addition, subsequent surveys detected traces of explosive material inside the car, which reinforced the suspicions against him
. Alen Zheng was accused of implanting explosives at the MacDill base of the United States Air Force
The case also led to the arrest of the parents of the suspects, Qiu Qin Zou and Jia Zhang Zheng, who had been in the country in an irregular migratory situation for decades. Both had received deportation orders in 1998 after their asylum requests were rejected, but they continued to reside in the United States without regularizing
their status.
The DHS pointed out that the episode exposes important flaws in the immigration system, highlighting that parents managed to remain in the country for almost 30 years despite strong judicial decisions. In this context, agency officials linked the case to the debate on citizenship by birth, warning that current legislation allows children of immigrants in an irregular situation to automatically access
U.S. citizenship.
The episode comes in the midst of a key legal debate in the United States. The Supreme Court of the United States is currently analyzing an executive order promoted by President Donald Trump that seeks to limit automatic citizenship for children of illegal immigrants. The initiative faces constitutional questions, although some sectors argue that it could progress partially.
As the investigation continues and the search for Alen Zheng intensifies, the case is consolidated as an episode of high political and security impact. The authorities remain focused on possible international connections and on the review of migration control mechanisms, in a context that once again calls into question the prevention of threats within the United States.
The defendant's parents were arrested and both have been living illegally in the United States since 1998
