By Pacific Island Times News Staff
Saipan – A Chinese citizen has been sentenced to one month behind bars after being convicted of human smuggling charges for attempting to sneak illegal aliens from the Northern Marianas into Guam.
During the March 14 sentencing, the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands also placed HongJiang Yang, 68, under one-year supervised release, ordered him to perform 50 hours of community service and pay a $100 special assessment fee.
Yang was involved in an incident on July 11, 2023, when 11 boat passengers in distress – nine Chinese citizens and two CNMI residents– were rescued on the high seas after leaving Saipan two days before.
Others involved in this incident pleaded guilty and were sentenced separately last year.
Yang was convicted of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens and conspiracy and aiding and abetting transportation of illegal aliens.
“Attorney General Pam Bondi has made immigration enforcement the highest priority of the Department,” U.S. Attorney Shawan Anderson said.
“We will fulfill our mission through federal, territorial, and commonwealth partnerships to deter unlawful migration and promote safety at sea,” he added.
Anderson urged the public to contact Homeland Security Investigations if they spot any suspicious activity around and within the Marianas' borders.
Yang’s operation was discovered when Homeland Security Investigations Saipan received information that the U.S. Coast Guard conducted an emergency maritime rescue operation for 11 individuals in distress on a small vessel off the coast of Rota.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric S. O’Malley investigated the incident for bringing in and harboring aliens, among other violations.
Evidence at the trial established that the overloaded boat departed Saipan, heading south, two nights before it ran out of gas in the high seas and started drifting at dawn.
Instead of immediately calling authorities for rescue, those on board made a last-ditch attempt to reach Guam by asking another boat to deliver more fuel.
After that effort failed, they radioed the U.S. Coast Guard, triggering a search by military aircraft from the United States and two allied nations.
The individuals were located at dusk and rescued by a Navy helicopter after midnight.
By delaying their call for help, Yang and the others made an already dangerous situation much more so, for themselves and their rescuers, the prosecutors said.
“The sentencing of Mr. Yang and the co-conspirators highlights ICE-HSI’s commitment to stopping smuggling efforts and preventing the evasion of federal immigration law,” said Lucy Cabral-DeArmas, Homeland Security Investigations special agent-in-charge.
A similar incident occurred on June 23, 2024 when U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam rescued a distressed vessel ferrying 13 Chinese passengers 13 nautical miles north of Guam.
“Stopping these crimes not only protects our communities, but also targets the inherent dangers present with human smuggling. ICE-HSI protects our borders through enforcing our immigration authority," Cabral DeArmas said.
Last year, Ike Peredo, director of the Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency, warned of the potential risks associated with the illegal entry of aliens, such as espionage, drug smuggling, human trafficking, reconnaissance, terrorism, disease and undocumented labor.
According to the Customs office, a total of 118 aliens trying to enter Guam through the backdoor have been captured since 2022. Most of them were intercepted at Ritidian Point on the northernmost tip of Guam.
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