Congressional Republicans are turning up the heat on Chinese influence in the U.S. with new legislation aimed at shutting down Chinese "police stations" operating across the country. These covert outposts, reportedly set up by the Chinese Communist Party, are part of a more significant effort to monitor and intimidate Chinese nationals and dissidents living in the U.S. The proposed bill seeks to counter these foreign operations, which many lawmakers consider a serious threat to American sovereignty and national security. The move underscores growing concerns over China's expanding reach on U.S. soil and its efforts to interfere in American affairs.
This week, Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), who sits on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, introduced the Expel Illegal Chinese Police Act of 2025 (H.R.2127) that aims to end illegal intimidation tactics that undermine U.S. sovereignty.
“The Chinese Communist Party should have never been able to operate police stations in the U.S. to surveil American citizens and harass Chinese citizens who have fled the Communist regime,” Hinson said in a statement. “We should find, prosecute, and sanction any Chinese Communist Party official involved in standing up police stations on U.S. soil.”
She added that the act would “finally hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable for such egregious violations.”
The proposed legislation would target individuals and groups running Chinese police stations in the U.S. with sanctions, asset freezes, and visa restrictions. It would also target those working under the direction of the United Front Work Department, the CCP's arm responsible for global influence operations that involve intimidation and harassment.
One of the most well-known Chinese police stations operates in New York City, managed by China’s Ministry of Public Security, which oversees domestic policing and surveillance for the Chinese Communist Party. In 2023, the FBI arrested two individuals connected to the station. One of the defendants, Chen Jinping, pleaded guilty to working as an unregistered foreign agent for China, while the other, Lu Jianwang, still faces federal charges.
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Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, introduced a similar Senate version of the legislation.
“No foreign government has the right to operate secret police stations on American soil,” Cotton said in a statement. “The Chinese Communist Party’s actions undermine international norms and human rights by circumventing legal extradition processes and engaging in intimidation tactics.”
The Chinese police stations do not only operate in the U.S. According to a 2022 report; there are over 100 overseas police stations in 53 countries.
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