Name: Incident Involving Customs Officer Using CCP Propaganda 'Exceptionally Concerning,' Congressman Says
Uploaded: 2024-08-18T06:25:46.000Z
Description: CHICAGO—U.S. lawmakers are raising concerns and calling for an investigation into a U.S. customs officer who used Chinese Communist Party (CCP) hate propaganda in his official capacity against artists belonging to the New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts.

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

NTD Plus

Shows

The Capitol Report is a political news show based in Washington D.C. We provide the world with a direct channel to the voices and people who shape policy in America. Capitol Report features all of the political news of the day with expert interviews and analysis.

Capitol Report

'Go Big or Go Home': Author on Reimagining Aesop’s Fables in an American Setting

Political Panel Discusses Trump Administration’s Move End to Biolabs Funding and Voter Fraud

Iranian People Want Change: Intelligence Expert

Steve Lance is NTD's Washington D.C. Bureau Chief and chief political correspondent. Steve anchors NTD's "Capitol Report," a political news show based in the nation's capital aimed at providing a direct channel to the voices and people who shape policy in America. Steve also co-moderates NTD's special election coverage "The Nation Decides."

Steve Lance

'Nobody's Ever Bored at Freedom Fest': America’s Economist on the Excitement of Freedom Fest

Ryan Morgan is a reporter for The Epoch Times focusing on military and foreign affairs. He was previously a news writer for NTD. 


Ryan Morgan

News

World News

Middle East

Iran

US Official Reveals Details of Tentative Iran Deal, Expects Signing in Coming Days

Mari Otsu is NTD's White House correspondent based in Washington. 

Mari Otsu

American Heritage Girls Offers Cross-Generational Mentorship and Countercultural Message

Trump to NTD: We need SAVE America Act for Elections

'Election Integrity Is Paramount': Rep. Cammack on the Path to SAVE America Act

Moving Uranium Will Take Cooperation: Former Marine Inteligence Officer on Iran Talks

Election Integrity Reinforces Confidence in Democracy: Panel Discusses California Voter Fraud and Reconciliation 3.0

US Says Iran Memorandum Based on Verifiable Steps, Not Promises; Iran Foreign Minister Agrees Deal Is Close

Iran Deal May Be Signed Over the Weekend as US Cancels Strikes; Trump Urges Congress to Pass Voter ID Law

House Passes ICE, CBP Funding Through End of Trump’s Term; Trump Vows Response to Iranian Attack on US Helicopter

Israel, Iran Halt Fire After Trump's Order; California's Slow Ballot Counting Under Scrutiny

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

Melina Wisecup

House to Take Up ICE, CBP Funding After Senate Passes It; Putin Rejects Zelenskyy’s Request for Talks

Trump Launches ‘Clean, Beautiful Coal’; Congress Tackles Welfare Fraud

Trump Tells NTD White House Reporter About Perils of Communism; LA Mayoral, CA Gubernatorial Primaries

Capitol Report Full Broadcast (June 2)

Capitol Report Full Broadcast (June 1)

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

Capitol Report Full Broadcast (May 29)

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

The Associated Press

US News

State News

California

More Than 17,000 Under Evacuation Orders as Southern California Wildfire Threatens Homes

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


NTD Newsroom

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

Up to 900 Planes Grounded Worldwide Amid Engine Shortage, United CEO Says

Reuters is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages.

Reuters

Andrew Thomas is a reporter for NTD News primarily covering business, the economy, and technology. 

Andrew Thomas

Science &amp; Tech

NASA Reverses Evacuation Alert Order for Astronauts Aboard Space Station

Rudy Blalock is a Southern California-based daily news reporter for NTD. Originally from Michigan, he moved to California in 2017 and the sunshine and ocean have kept him here since. In his free time, he may be found underwater scuba diving, on top of a mountain hiking or snowboarding, or at home meditating—which helps fuel his active lifestyle.

Rudy Blalock

40,000 Ordered to Evacuate as Chemical Tank Leaks, Threatens Explosion in California

Video of US Fighter Jet Shooting Down UFO Over Lake Huron Emerges in New Pentagon Files

Ohio

At Least 12 People Shot at Ohio Festival, Search for Suspects Ongoing: Police

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

Mary Man

Daniel Monaghan is a reporter for NTD News covering culture, social issues, and education. He holds a BA in Political Science and Government.

Daniel Monaghan

China News

Epoch Times Obtains Over 2,000 Unseen Tiananmen Square Photos on 37th Anniversary of the June 4th Massacre

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

US Embassy in Israel Issues Travel Alert for Much of Middle East

Sports News

Kyle Busch, Two-Time NASCAR Champion, Dies at 41

FBI Warns of Chinese Spies Posing as Recruiters

CHICAGO—U.S. lawmakers are raising concerns and calling for an investigation into a U.S. customs officer who used Chinese Communist Party (CCP) hate propaganda in his official capacity against artists belonging to the New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts.

“Espousing Chinese Communist Party propaganda, and coercion and intimidation as an official U.S. government action—that's exceptional," Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) told NTD.

<a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/article/lawmaker-investigate-customs-officer-who-targeted-us-artists-with-ccp-propaganda-5606744">The incident, on March 11</a>, involved a customs officer at Chicago's O’Hare International Airport, who spoke Chinese with a mainland accent.

“They’re Falun Gong. They’re political. They’re illegal,” the customs officer told his nearby co-workers in English, as he screened Teresa Du, a tour manager with Shen Yun Performing Arts, which showcases "China before communism" in performances around the world.

Ms. Du is a natural-born U.S. citizen and all artists are either U.S. citizens or hold valid visas.

"This is an American citizen, espousing their First Amendment rights, coming back home to America, and essentially being intimidated by the federal government. That's a whole different level," Mr. Perry said.

The officer’s behavior raises many questions for Mr. Perry who has been concerned about CCP infiltration of America, including the <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/fbi-arrests-2-for-operating-secret-chinese-police-station-in-nyc-5200542">reports</a> of several Chinese police stations operating on U.S. soil.

“You've got to wonder, who's watching the watchmen? How was this person vetted? How did they get to this position?” Mr. Perry said.

“Is this a person somehow that knows Chinese that is in America working for the federal government, but acting on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese government?” he said. “That's exceptionally concerning.”

Founded in New York in 2006 by Chinese artists who fled communist persecution, Shen Yun has been targeted by the Chinese Communist Party for nearly two decades.

Ms. Du, as well as many Shen Yun performers, practice Falun Gong, an ancient Chinese spiritual discipline that focuses on self-improvement through meditation and moral principles.

Shen Yun Performing Arts North America Company takes a curtain call at the Orpheum Theater in Omaha, Neb., on April 3, 2023. (Hu Chen/The Epoch Times)

The customs officer spoke to Ms. Du in Chinese until she switched to English. He asked her: “Are you being sponsored by Falun Gong?” Ms. Du declined to answer.

Mr. Perry wondered why that line of questioning was appropriate.

“I want to know this individual's background,” he said, referring to the Chinese-speaking customs officer. “We absolutely need to be on the lookout for these kinds of things. And I think we need to be proactive.

“What concern is it to U.S. Customs and Border Protection that these people espouse these viewpoints, which are not a threat to American society?”

Multiple other lawmakers also found the treatment of Ms. Du disturbing. Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas), who represents Ms. Du’s home state, said it was “totally inexcusable for this to happen in the United States at the hands of an American official.”

Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas) in Washington on March 18, 2021. (York Du/The Epoch Times)

“There should be a thorough investigation and if it proves to be accurate the customs official should be terminated immediately,” he told The Epoch Times. “We should never allow the PRC [People’s Republic of China]—one of the most repressive countries on the planet—to have influence over our federal government.”

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) similarly said he hopes the incident “gets investigated.”

“A law enforcement type official at the airport harassing an American citizen—we have freedom of religion here, and we should protect that,” Mr. Bacon told NTD, adding that “there should be some disciplinary action taken” for such behavior.

House Republican Israel Caucus member Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington on May 19, 2021. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Having seen Shen Yun perform just days earlier in Boise, Idaho, Rep. Russ Fulcher (R-Idaho) described the performance as “fabulous” and “an artistry combining history with art” that “doesn't necessarily align with the current Chinese government and the current Chinese direction.”

“To see that they have been interrupted, you have to ask the question as to why what's the motivation behind that?” he told NTD.

“There's so many concerns about this,” he said of the incident. “Because why were they targeted?”

Rep. Russ Fulcher (R-Idaho) at Shen Yun's evening performance at the Morrison Center for the Performing Arts in Boise, Idaho, on March 2, 2024. (NTD)

<em>From <a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/incident-involving-customs-officer-using-ccp-propaganda-exceptionally-concerning-congressman-says-5607989">The Epoch Times</a></em>

Latest

Programs

investigation

Videos

04_Top Stories

Shen Yun News

Shen Yun

Latest Clips

Eva Fu is a New York-based writer for The Epoch Times focusing on U.S. politics, U.S.-China relations, religious freedom, and human rights. Contact Eva at eva.fu@epochtimes.com

Eva Fu

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.