Woman deported to China two years after sparking security alert by breaking into Mar-a-Lago
Yujing Zhang claimed she was at Mar-a-Lago to ‘just make friends’
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A woman who was arrested for trespassing at Mar-a-Lago in 2019 in order to “meet the president and family and just make friends” has been deported to China.
Yujing Zhang, 35, was held in immigration custody for two years after being arrested at then-President Donald Trump’s beach resort in March 2019, while Mr Trump was at the club, Business Insider reported.
Despite concerns over national security and fears she could be a Chinese spy – with several mobile devices, a laptop, and signal detector found in Zhang’s posession – no espionage charghes were brought against her, instead, she was found guilty of tresspassing and lying to Secret Service agents about why she was at the property.
Her motive for being at the Palm Beach club was never fully understood, but in court Assistant US Attorney Rolando Garcia said the the fact she had lied “to everybody” about being invited to the club, alongside the electronic devices found on her person, “Certainly does not suggest she is some misguided tourist. She had an agenda”, the Associated Press reported.
However, Zhang claimed she has just wanted to visit Mar-a-Lago “to meet the president and family and just make friends”.
Following the trial, Zhang was sentenced to eight months (or her time served) in prison in November 2019, after which point she was passed over to Immigration and Customs Enforcment for deportation to China.
However, she remained in ICE custody for far longer than intended, due to the coronavirus pandemic, and filed a habeas corpus petition in December 2020 to expedite the process, the Miami Herald reported.
In her petition, Zhang argued that her being held “violates a person’s basic rights”.