(Substack)—The University of Michigan, a “prestigious” institution that receives over a billion dollars in federal research funding annually, is under fire after two separate incidents where Chinese nationals allegedly tried to smuggle dangerous biological materials into the United States. These materials, if unleashed, could devastate American agriculture and pose a serious national security threat.
The suspects, researchers from China, were working at U-M on student and post-doctoral visas. One of them, Chengxuan Han, was arrested at Detroit Metro Airport carrying biological samples that could damage corn, soybean, and peanut crops. Another, Yunqing Jian, and her boyfriend Zunyong Liu, were caught trying to bring in a fungal disease that can destroy vital grains like wheat and rice.
Federal prosecutors didn’t mince words. U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon said these cases are part of a “disturbing pattern that threatens our security.”
FBI Director Kash Patel added that it’s clear the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is using students and researchers to infiltrate U.S. institutions and attack our economy from the inside — this time, by targeting our food supply.
Taxpayer-funded universities may have unknowingly become tools for the CCP’s aggressive tactics. The University of Michigan admitted it’s scrambling to review its policies after these arrests, but the real question is: why weren’t they doing that already?
Last year alone, U-M took in $1.17 billion in federal research funds — over half of its total research budget. That means Americans are footing the bill for research that might be exploited by foreign adversaries. This has sparked renewed calls among conservatives for more oversight of foreign nationals in sensitive university research programs.
The Trump administration has been sounding the alarm President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have taken action to revoke the visas of Chinese students tied to the CCP or those studying in high-risk areas like science and tech. Rubio recently stated that the administration is prioritizing national security over political correctness when it comes to foreign students.
And this isn’t the first time U-M has been tied to questionable ties with China. In 2023, the school ended a partnership with a Chinese university after five students were caught sneaking around a U.S. military base. That should have been a wake-up call.
Some liberals may call these actions extreme, but the facts don’t lie. We can’t allow foreign adversaries to exploit our open academic system to sneak in threats disguised as research. President Trump’s America First approach is exactly what’s needed to protect not only our national security but our food supply, economy, and future.
It’s time to stop turning a blind eye in the name of “global cooperation.” Academic freedom should never come at the cost of national safety.
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Author: Substack
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