Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Saipan – SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that Kangle Jiang, age 22, citizen of the People’s Republic of China, was sentenced to 30 days imprisonment by the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands for Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(1)(A)(ii) and (v)(I) and Conspiracy to Defraud the United States, in violation of 18 § U.S.C. 37. The court also ordered one year of supervised release, 50 hours of community service, and a $100 special assessment fee.
On December 9, 2024, Kangle Jiang conspired with a man in Saipan to transport himself and seven other Chinese nationals to the Territory of Guam by boat. They intended to avoid detection by law enforcement to further their unlawful presence in the United States. Jiang, who had only been in the CNMI since October 31, 2024, paid $6,000 for the illegal trip to Guam. As the boat approached the shore, the boat’s operators pushed and threatened the passengers to jump into the water, even though some of them could not swim. Most of the passengers were later encountered in or near sensitive military installations.
“Combatting unlawful immigration is the top priority of the Department of Justice,” stated United States Attorney Anderson. “The defendant took advantage of unique federal immigration regulations that permit certain foreign nationals to visit the CNMI as tourists. Any local economic benefits from these provisions are lost when those persons later attempt to unlawfully enter another part of the United States. The defendant and his co-conspirators also placed themselves and others at great risk of personal harm due to the nature of their travel at sea. Our enforcement efforts will continue to focus on safety, deterrence, and maintaining the integrity of our immigration system in the Western Pacific.”
“The arrest of Mr. Jiang exemplifies HSI’s commitment to enforcing federal immigration laws in an effort to prevent human smuggling,” said HSI Special Agent in Charge Lucy Cabral-DeArmas. “By going after violators like Mr. Jiang, we protect our communities by trying to prevent the inherent dangers posed by smuggling.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by Eric S. O’Malley, Assistant United States Attorney in the District of the Northern Mariana Islands.