WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Ritchie Torres (NY-15) today issued the following statement related to the arrests of two men, accused of conspiring as agents of the Chinese Communist Party and destroying evidence in connection to an illegal police station operated in New York City:

“A few weeks ago, I joined Rep. Mike Gallagher, Chairman of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and China, in New York City to raise the alarm about the presence of these illegal, not-so-secretive police stations that are singularly designed by the Chinese Communist Party to terrorize, threaten, surveil, and harass Chinese nationals living in America and those who defy the CCP.

I am incredibly grateful to the counterintelligence officers at the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, the U.S. Department of Justice, and all our law enforcement partners for embarking on this historic investigation, which today resulted in the announcement of multiple criminal charges against two men – the first arrests in the world outside of China with connection to the CCP’s overseas police stations.

The United States must continue to make abundantly clear that we will not tolerate flagrant violations of American sovereignty, transnational aggression by the CCP on our soil, and coordinated attempts to suppress the fundamental right of individuals to free speech and expression.

We are also reminded in this moment of our steadfast commitment to protecting the voices of all AAPI residents and standing up to acts of all violence, hate, and discrimination against their communities.

This case sends a powerful message to the world that the U.S. will not allow any foreign adversary to conspire here at home and that we will hold them and their bad actors accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

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