The owner of a popular sushi restaurant in Montgomery Township, New Jersey, is behind bars—not for food safety violations, but for espionage. Ming Xi Zhang, also known as “Sushi John,” was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on March 24 after being convicted of operating as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government.
REPORT: Chinese National and New Jersey sushi shop owner, Ming Xi Zhang has been arrested by ICE.
In 2024, he was arrested for illegal acting as an agent of the Chinese government. pic.twitter.com/L1sayGt3jq
— Ian Jaeger (@IanJaeger29) April 12, 2025
Zhang, 61, owns Ya Ya Noodles, a well-known sushi spot in Princeton’s suburbs. But behind the seaweed wraps and miso soup was a man with much more sinister connections. In April 2024, Zhang was convicted of working covertly for Chinese intelligence, admitting that he served as an agent for Beijing without notifying the U.S. Attorney General—an egregious violation of federal law.
Incredibly, the Biden administration gave him just three years’ probation. That’s right—probation. Compare that to the multi-year prison terms handed out to nonviolent January 6 protesters for parading inside the Capitol, and the double standard becomes painfully clear.
According to ICE, Zhang first entered the U.S. legally in 2000, but has since violated the terms of his admission. ICE Newark Field Office Director John Tsoukaris didn’t mince words: “Any illegal alien conducting activities related to espionage, sabotage, or export control against the United States is subject to deportation.”
And rightly so. In 2016, Zhang met with Chinese intelligence officials in the Bahamas, then delivered $35,000 to an unnamed individual in New Jersey. He also hosted a Chinese government agent twice at his home in Princeton. These aren’t harmless acts—they’re the definition of espionage.
Zhang is now being held at the Elizabeth Detention Center while awaiting immigration proceedings. A worker at his restaurant told the New York Post that he’s “doing good… given the circumstances,” and claimed that the local community has rallied behind him. “Everyone’s been coming in, offering phone numbers, talking to his family. Everyone’s really supportive.”
Well, that’s disturbing.
The arrest comes as President Trump’s administration ramps up mass deportations. Just this week, Trump secured a major win when the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of invoking the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, allowing his administration to deport foreign nationals with links to hostile governments or terrorist groups.
Zhang may not be the last spy ICE picks up. But he should be the first of many. No amount of sushi should excuse treason.
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