Name: Lawmaker: Investigate US Customs Officer Who Targeted Shen Yun
Uploaded: 2024-08-18T06:25:31.000Z
Description: A U.S. customs officer at a Chicago airport targeted the U.S.-based <a href="https://twitter.com/ShenYun">Shen Yun</a> Performing Arts company with Chinese Communist Party propaganda. The incident is now leading to calls for a thorough investigation into Chinese infiltration into the U.S. government.

Arleen Richards is NTD's legal correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City, where she covers all major legal stories. Arleen holds a Doctor of Law (J.D.).


Arleen Richards

NTD Plus

News

News with integrity, from the United States and around the world. Focused reports and analyses that shed light on major issues the world deserves to know. NTD Evening News airs daily at 6 p.m. ET.

NTD Evening News

Can States, Like New York Regulate Prediction Market Platforms?

Christina Corona is a California-based reporter for NTD News. She primarily covers California news, politics, and entertainment.  

Christina Corona

Newsom Announces California Will Raise State Minimum Wage to $17.40

Cary Dunst is the news anchor for NTD Evening News. He is also the co-host of NTD Good Morning.


Cary Dunst

'The EU Is Only as Strong as Its Weakest Link': Expert on Spanish Illegal Immigration

Jason Blair is a national correspondent for NTD News based in California. 

Jason Blair

Homicides Drop More Than 40 Percent in Washington

Arian Pasdar is an international correspondent for NTD News based in South America. His reporting focuses on immigration and key events in Latin America.

Arian Pasdar

Ukraine Says Russia Used North Korean Missiles in Latest Barrage Killing 13 Civilians 

Justice Department Uncovers $350 Million in Alleged Fraud Across Southeast

Jack Bradley is a Washington correspondent for NTD News based in Washington, D.C. Jack previously anchored "NTD Newsroom" and worked as an assistant producer for the show. 

Jack Bradley

Trump Renews Criticism Over China's COVID Cover-up

Nikou Bani

GanJing World Hosts #BeKindBeCool Award Ceremony in Times Square

FBI Displays Drones Seized Across Los Angeles During World Cup

Jason Perry is an Army veteran and NTD's national security correspondent. Jason primarily covers border security, national defense, foreign wars, and veterans' issues.

Jason Perry

The Associated Press is an American not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. 

The Associated Press

World News

International

Spain Deploys Military to Ceuta After Thousands of Illegal Immigrants Breach Morocco's Border; At Least 18 Dead

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 31)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 30)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 29)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 28)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 27)

Chris Beers is an NTD News anchor and political correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Chris co-anchors "NTD News Today" weekdays at 10:00 am ET.

Chris Beers

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 26)

Paul Greaney is an NTD news anchor and producer. Since joining the company in 2018, he has anchored the station’s flagship Evening News broadcast, launched the NTD Business show, and produced documentary reports on pointed issues. 

The highlight of Paul’s time in the field was his coverage of the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests in 2019.

Paul Greaney

Full Episodes

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 25)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 24)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 23)

NTD Evening News Full Broadcast (July 22)

Tom Gantert is a reporter for The Epoch Times.

Tom Gantert

Melina Wisecup is NTD's congressional correspondent based in Washington, covering Capitol Hill and campaign politics.

Melina Wisecup

US News

Politics

Executive Branch

Trump Uses Recent Speeches to Warn Americans of Resurging Communism

Juliet Song is an international correspondent exclusively covering China news for NTD. She primarily contributes to NTD's "China in Focus," covering U.S.-China relations, the Chinese regime's human rights abuses, and domestic unrest inside China.

Juliet Song

Shows

Fast, compelling, first-hand news from China. China in Focus airs Monday–Friday at 9:30 p.m. ET.

China in Focus

2.8 Million People in China Evacuated Amid Typhoon Bavi

NTD Movies

NTD+ Movies

The Unrestricted War

NTD Newsroom comprises teams of reporters, editors, and producers assigned to cover breaking news and other stories.


NTD Newsroom

Breaking news and in-depth analysis from the United States and beyond. We bring you the latest updates, exclusive insights, and sharp discussions on the most pressing issues. NTD Newsroom airs Monday–Friday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET.

US Announces Visa Restrictions Targeting Cybercriminals

Joseph Lord is a congressional reporter for The Epoch Times.


Joseph Lord

Congress

House Passes Legislation to Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent

Troy Myers is a regional reporter based in St. Augustine, Florida. His background includes breaking, criminal justice, and investigative writing for local news, producing on a national morning newscast in Washington, D.C., and working with an award-winning, weekly investigative news program. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his dog at the beach.

Troy Myers

Courts

Appeals Court Upholds Block on Trump Order to Tighten Mail-In Voting, Citizenship Verification

Sen. Lindsey Graham Likely Died After Aorta Tear, Medical Examiner Says

Bringing you the latest videos, livestreams, and premieres.


NTD Videos

Label

Live

NTD+ Live

Trump Makes an Announcement on Freedom Hauler in the White House

Mary Man is a writer for NTD. She has traveled around the world covering China, international news, and arts and culture.

Mary Man

China News

China Floods: Thousands at Risk After Multiple Dams Collapse in Guangxi

Jackson Richman is a Washington correspondent for The Epoch Times. In addition to Washington politics, he covers the intersection of politics and sports/sports and culture. He previously was a writer at Mediaite and Washington correspondent at Jewish News Syndicate. His writing has also appeared in The Washington Examiner. He is an alum of George Washington University.

Jackson Richman

House Passes Defense Policy Bill That Attaches SAVE America Act

A U.S. customs officer at a Chicago airport targeted the U.S.-based <a href="https://twitter.com/ShenYun">Shen Yun</a> Performing Arts company with Chinese Communist Party propaganda. The incident is now leading to calls for a thorough investigation into Chinese infiltration into the U.S. government.

On Monday at the O'Hare International Airport, performers of Shen Yun were coming back from a successful performance tour in Europe. But when they were going through customs, an officer with a Chinese accent targeted the performers with the same hate propaganda that the Chinese Communist Party would use to target religious believers.

"It just sounded like he was trying to put words into my mouth, like 'Are you being sponsored by Falun Gong?'" said Teresa Du, the tour manager for the company. "So I just said, 'I don't think I have to answer that question.'"

"Because we escaped from China, but this feels like as if we were being talked to by [the] Chinese government," she added. "This is the U.S. I'm coming home. And this is something that should never happen in the U.S."

Many of Shen Yun's performers practice Falun Gong, a spiritual discipline severely persecuted in communist China. The officer allegedly also told other officers that Shen Yun dancers were illegal because of their faith—despite all of the performers holding either U.S. citizenship or legal visas.

In a statement, a CBP spokesperson said, "CBP strictly prohibits profiling on the basis of race or religion," and that it "does not tolerate actions that are inconsistent with our core values."

Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas) called for a thorough investigation, saying in a statement, "We should never allow the PRC, one of the most repressive countries on the planet to have influence over our federal government."

An immigration lawyer told NTD that the U.S. government needs to strengthen the background checks of its officers.

"You can imagine lots of examples where the government of China would do well for itself to plant people within the U.S. government—asylum officers, [U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services] officers, any position within the government," said Jason Dzubow.

"The Falun Gong is one group that certainly has been targeted over the years within the United States. And it's important for the U.S. government to be aware about that and to try to actively prevent such threats."

Just last year, the FBI arrested two suspected Chinese agents and charged them with attempting to bribe a public official in a scheme targeting Falun Gong in the United States.

Latest

SHEN YUN

Videos

04_Top Stories

Shen Yun News

Shen Yun

Latest Clips

Management

Iris Tao is NTD's White House correspondent based in Washington. Prior to her work at the White House, Iris reported on U.S. politics and U.S.–China relations from NTD’s New York headquarters. She holds degrees in journalism and economics from Boston University.

Iris Tao

02_Second Lead

Latest and breaking news, documentaries, movies, and lifestyle content on NTD+.
 
Empower your knowledge and elevate your spirit with NTD+, your go-to destination for truthful news, insightful documentaries, and captivating lifestyle content that enriches your life.

Lawmaker: Investigate US Customs Officer Who Targeted Shen Yun

Stefania Cox is an NTD News anchor and national correspondent based at the network's global headquarters in New York City. Stefania anchors "NTD Newsroom," and co-anchors "NTD News Today" weekdays at 10:00 am ET.

Stefania Cox

News you can trust from the U.S. and around the world. Critical information and insight. We cover the stories that others don’t. NTD News Today airs Monday–Friday at 11 a.m. ET.

NTD News Today

NTD News Today Full Broadcast (July 31)

We present news that is truthful and based on facts, outside of the political fog. Instead of focusing on the negative things happening around us, our mission is to give our viewers a good morning with empathetic and uplifting stories. Our aim is to provide an antidote to negativity by shining a light on the best side of people. We speak to inspiring people who positively impact communities, pursue topics that represent our common human values, and will never miss an opportunity to bring you heartwarming stories.