Parents of MacDill bomb threat suspects arrested by ICE: DHS
Courtesy: Department of Homeland Security
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced the arrest of the undocumented immigrant parents of the MacDill bomb plot suspects.
What we know:
According to the DHS, Immigration and Customs enforcement arrested Qiu Qin Zou and Jia Zhang Zheng, the parents of Ann Mary Zheng and Alen Zheng.
The siblings are accused of planting an IED at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa on March 10, selling the car they used to transport it there, then fleeing to China.
Ann Zheng was taken into custody when she returned to America, accused of aiding her brother in his escape.
READ MORE: MacDill bomb plot: Prosecutors say Land O'Lakes woman is flight risk after brother flees to China
Authorities believe her brother, Alen Zheng, is still in China.
Suspect’s Parents Arrested By ICE
ICE apprehended both parents on March 18, and remain in custody, accused of illegally entering the U.S. at an unknown place.
The backstory:
According to the DHS, in 1993 both parents applied for asylum, but an immigration judge denied their claims and ordered both parents removed from the U.S. in 1998.
The Bureau of Immigration Appeals denied multiple attempts to have their case reopened, but they illegally remained in the U.S. despite being ordered to leave almost 30 years ago, according to the DHS.
Due to birthright citizenship laws, the siblings were granted U.S. Citizenship due to them being born in the U.S.
"Automatically granting citizenship to children of illegal aliens born in the U.S. is based on a historically inaccurate interpretation of the Citizenship Clause and poses a major national security risk. That reality became apparent last week when two U.S.-born children of Chinese illegal aliens were indicted for planting a potentially deadly explosive device outside MacDill Air Force Base in Florida," said Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis.
"This incident underscores the severe national security threat that illegal immigration and birthright citizenship pose to the United States," Bis said.
What we don't know:
It is unclear if the parents have been charged with anything in connection to the MacDill bomb plot.
The Source: This article was written using a press release from the Department of Homeland Security.