Two Chinese-American brothers face accusations of placing an improvised explosive device (IED) at MacDill Air Force Base located in Tampa, Florida. DHS officials noted that the brothers are “anchor babies,” children of undocumented Chinese immigrants who secured birthright citizenship after their mother gave birth in the U.S.
Recently, the DOJ charged 20-year-old Allen Jenn and 27-year-old Anne Mary Jenn with planning an attack on MacDill Air Force Base, which included the placement of an IED.
According to federal investigators, a bomb threat was reported at MacDill Air Force Base on March 10, 2026. Allen Zhen was allegedly responsible for the call; however, no IED was located at that time. Two days later, the brothers left for China.
The explosive was discovered by Air Force personnel on March 16, six days after the brothers are said to have planted the device. Anne Mary Zhen returned to the U.S. from China the following day and was arrested.
As for her brother, Allen Zhen, he is thought to still be in China.
The parents of Allen and Anne Mary Zhen, Qiu Qindou and Jia Jiang, were illegal immigrants from China and were ordered to be deported in 1998. Despite their immigration status, they had two children in the U.S., which granted the children citizenship and allowed the parents to remain in the country for several years.
DHS Secretary Lauren Biss commented, “Automatically granting citizenship to the children of illegal immigrants born in the U.S. is founded on a historically flawed interpretation of the citizenship clause and represents a substantial national security risk.”
Last week, the charges against the U.S.-born children of undocumented Chinese immigrants, connected to the explosive device found near MacDill Air Force Base, underscored the significant national security issues stemming from illegal immigration and birthright citizenship.
Both Qiu Qin Zou and Jia Zhang Zheng were taken into custody by ICE agents on March 18 and are currently held in federal custody.
