Chinese Asylum Seeker Lands Herself in Jail And Facing Deportation After TSA Discovers Illegal Firearm And Ammunition in Her Bag

A Chinese woman who came to the United States as a tourist and then quickly claimed asylum due to persecution in her home country is now facing deportation after a firearm and ammunition were found in her bags ahead of an American Airlines flight to Dallas, Forth Worth.

53-year-old Xuemei Zhao from the People’s Republic of China was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at Provo Airport in Utah on March 20 after the discovery of an illegal and undeclared handgun and ammunition.

Because Zhao does not hold a Green Card, it is illegal for her to buy or possess a firearm, although the only reason that she got caught with the handgun in her bag was because she failed to tell American Airlines that it was in her baggage.

When flying domestically, it’s perfectly fine to travel with a legal firearm so long as it is transported unloaded in a locked, hard-sided container in checked baggage and declared to the airline.

According to court records, however, Zhao failed to tell the American Airlines check-in agent that a black Rossi Braztech Int’l .357 revolver pistol was in her checked luggage.

When the luggage then underwent routine x-ray screening by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), the bag was immediately flagged for inspection, and the pistol was discovered.

Not that Zhao had much luck at the TSA security checkpoint, either. Prosecutors claim TSA agents also found nine rounds of .357 ammunition in her carry-on luggage as it went through the x-ray machine. Ammunition is strictly prohibited in carry-on luggage, even though the TSA’s track record of detecting it is patchy.

Following her arrest, a federal grand jury in Salt Lake City charged Zhao with possession of a firearm by a restricted person. She is due to appear in court on Friday.

The Department of Justice has taken credit for Zhao’s arrest under the Trump administration’s Operation Take Back America initiative which is meant to “repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.”

Last week, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem launched a multi-million-dollar ad campaign in an attempt to persuade desperate asylum seekers from attempting to illegally enter the United States.

Taking center stage in the new series of video, radio and print ads, Noem declares: “President Trump has a clear message: if you are here illegally, we will find you and deport you. You will never return. But if you leave now, you may have an opportunity to return and enjoy our freedom and live the American Dream.”

“If you are a criminal alien considering entering America illegally: Don’t even think about it. If you come here and break our laws, we will hunt you down. Criminals are not welcome in the United States.”

For many years, China refused to accept the deportation of its citizens from other countries back to China, although, very recently, the country has softened its stance and started to allow deportations from the United States to the mainland.

Under the Biden administration, from mid-2024, China started to allow the US to fly hundreds of illegal Chinese citizens back home.

Although Zhao entered the United States on a tourist visa, government officials have been increasingly alarmed about the number of foreign nationals from as far afield as China, India, and Nigeria who have illegally entered the United States through the Southern Border.

Immigrants have been flying into South and Central America and then making the perilous journey towards the Southern Border. In 2023, El Salvador imposed a mandatory $1,130 airport tax on citizens of Africa and India, no matter where they started their journey, in an attempt to dissuade migrants from using the Central American country as a starting point for the journey toward the United States.