The parents of the MacDill Air Force Base bombing suspect are illegal immigrants from China
The parents of the suspects linked to the bombing outside MacDill Air Force Base in Florida last month are illegal immigrants, the Department of Homeland Security announced, adding that the case underscores the dangers of being a citizen.
ICE agents arrested the parents, identified as Qiu Qin Zou and Jia Zhang Zheng, and took them into custody on March 18, days after their son, Alen Zheng, allegedly planted an explosive device outside the compound.
Officials said the parents entered the United States illegally and applied for asylum in 1993, but an immigration judge denied those applications and ordered Zheng and Zou removed from the US in 1998.
The Board of Immigration Appeals denied the couple’s multiple attempts to reopen their case, but they remained in the US for decades despite the removal order.
The arrest adds a new dimension to the case, as the Trump administration says it underscores the national security risks associated with birthright citizenship, an issue now before the Supreme Court.
Their children – Alen Zheng and his sister, Ann Mary Zheng – were both born in the US and are citizens.
Authorities suspect Alen Zheng planted an improvised explosive device outside the MacDill Air Force Base visitor center in Tampa on March 10, and his sister later helped cover up the crime.
Prosecutors say Ann Mary Zheng “helped behind the scenes” and tampered with evidence to prevent her brother’s arrest.
Federal investigators believe Alen Zheng fled to China and remains at large. His sister was arrested after returning to the US via Detroit.
The bomb, described by officials as “highly lethal,” failed to detonate and was recovered six days later by an Air Force pilot.
Investigators later linked the device to items found in Zheng’s home and to a hot phone used to place a secret 911 call alert about the bomb.
DHS officials said the case highlights broader concerns about immigration enforcement and citizenship laws, as the Supreme Court weighs the scope of citizenship rights under the 14th Amendment.
“Automatically granting citizenship to children born illegally in the US … poses a significant national security risk,” DHS Acting Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement. “This incident underscores the serious threat to national security posed by illegal immigration and US citizenship.”
The organization revealed that the suspects were born in America after their parents entered the country illegally.
President Donald Trump decided to limit the right to birthright as a citizen in an executive order signed on his first day in office, saying the current interpretation of the Constitution is infallible.
This policy is being challenged in the Supreme Court, setting off a major legal battle over the scope of the 14th amendment.
Federal prosecutors have charged Alen Zheng with attempted destruction of government property by fire or explosion, as well as weapons-related charges, which carry up to 40 years in prison.
Ann Mary Zheng is charged with trespassing and tampering with evidence, with a possible sentence of 30 years.
Officials have not publicly identified the target or confirmed any connection to the Chinese government.
MacDill Air Force Base houses US Central Command and US Special Operations Command, making it one of the most important military installations in the country.
Fox News’ Alex Nitzberg and Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
