New Jersey restaurateur 'Sushi John' detained by ICE for being Chinese agent

The owner of a New Jersey sushi restaurant has been arrested following his conviction for acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government.

Ming Xi Zhang, known as “Sushi John,” was taken into custody by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Newark on March 24. The 61-year-old owner of Ya Ya Noodles in Montgomery Township was convicted in April 2024 of acting as an unregistered foreign agent and sentenced to three years of probation. He previously pleaded guilty in May 2021 to serving as an agent for China in 2016 without notifying the US Attorney General.

ICE said that Zhang legally entered the United States in 2000 but “violated the terms of his lawful admission.”

“Any illegal alien conducting activities related to espionage, sabotage or export control against the United States is subject to deportation,” said ICE Newark Field Office Director John Tsoukaris in a statement.

According to reporting from NJ.com, Zhang met with a Chinese security official in the Bahamas in 2016 and delivered $35,000 to an unidentified individual in New Jersey. He also admitted to hosting a Chinese government agent at his home on two separate occasions that fall.

Zhang is currently being held at the Elizabeth Detention Center as he awaits immigration proceedings. A worker at his restaurant told the New York Post that Zhang is “doing good, I mean, given the circumstances” and “just kind of waiting… to get let out.”

The worker said the local community around the restaurant has shown strong support since Zhang’s arrest. “The whole town has been really supportive,” the worker explained. “Everyone’s been coming in, offering phone numbers, talking to his family . . . everyone’s really supportive.”

The arrest comes as ICE has dramatically increased immigration enforcement since President Trump has taken office. It also comes as Trump has imposed a 145 percent tariff on China.