Michigan Students Accused of Smuggling ‘Potential Agroterrorism’ Fungus Into the U.S.

The Trump administration claims two students from China smuggled a rare fungus into the U.S. that could potentially be used as an “agroterrorism weapon” due to its ability to destroy farm crops. The government has arrested one of the students, while the other is believed to be in China.

Trump’s Justice Department has hit Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34, with several serious charges, including conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, false statements, and visa fraud. The students, who were a couple at one point, have been engaged in work at the University of Michigan, some of which was funded by the Chinese government, according to federal officials.

A press release shared by the government Tuesday claims that the two students smuggled a fungus called Fusarium graminearum into the U.S. The fungus, according to the government, is capable of producing a destructive crop-killing disease known as “head blight” that can impact a variety of harvests, including “wheat, barley, maize, and rice.” A website dedicated to crop protection characterizes the fungus as “most economically important wheat disease in the U.S. and Canada.”

An investigation of Jian’s electronics showed “information describing her membership in and loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party,” the government has claimed. Jian was arrested this week and was scheduled to be arraigned in federal court in Detroit on Tuesday. It isn’t clear whether Liu has been arrested or not. The New York Times has reported that Liu is “believed to be in China.”

“The alleged actions of these Chinese nationals—including a loyal member of the Chinese Communist Party—are of the gravest national security concerns,” said United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. “These two aliens have been charged with smuggling a fungus that has been described as a ‘potential agroterrorism weapon’ into the heartland of America, where they apparently intended to use a University of Michigan laboratory to further their scheme.”

The charges come as the Trump administration is engaged in a nationwide crackdown on foreign students at elite U.S. universities. The government has sought to target students for a variety of reasons, including involvement in activism against Israel. A student from Russia was recently detained by ICE and accused of illegally smuggling frog embryos into the U.S. The Chinese government recently called on the U.S. to protect the rights of international students, saying “We urge the US side to earnestly safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of international students, including those from China.”