【Epoch Times April 2, 2025】Hello viewers, welcome to the New Tang Dynasty News Quick Report. Today is Monday, March 31, in Eastern Time.
Today’s focus: Taiwanese artists who repost pro-China posts may face fines; FBI’s new head starts with a bang; US sanctions six officials from China and Hong Kong for involvement in cross-border suppression; Footage revealed! Trump administration deports 17 gang members late at night.
The Director of the FBI, Kash Patel, wasted no time in cracking down on criminals and earning praise from Republican members of Congress within his first month in office. Patel told Fox News, “The FBI is actively pursuing criminals every day, no matter where they hide, we will bring them to justice.”
Let’s take a look at the five achievements Patel has made in his first five weeks in office:
1. Patel announced last week that the FBI had captured three of the “Top Ten Most Wanted” criminals, including a murderer of his wife, a rapist of women, and a gang leader collaborating with terrorists.
2. Arrests in Tesla vandalism cases. In recent weeks, several individuals were arrested for arson, shooting at Tesla cars and dealerships, damaging charging stations, and vandalizing private Tesla vehicles. The FBI and the Department of Justice collaborated to combat these acts of vandalism, citing them as “domestic terrorism,” punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
3. Arrest of MS-13 gang leaders. The FBI announced the arrest of one of the three major leaders of the American MS-13 gang this week, 24-year-old Henry Josue Villatoro Santos from El Salvador.
4. Drug crime busts. The FBI raided and arrested 22 members of a drug trafficking gang in Laredo, Texas, believed to be linked to a violent drug trafficking group in Mexico.
5. Disrupting terrorist money laundering. This week, the Department of Justice successfully uncovered a major encrypted cryptocurrency funding network suspected of money laundering for Hamas. This marks a significant victory for the FBI’s counterterrorism and cyber division. It was revealed that since October 2024, Hamas had laundered over $1.5 million through this network.
An FBI spokesperson stated that this is just the beginning.
On Monday, the US State Department announced strict sanctions on six officials from China and Hong Kong, punishing them for suppressing democratic activists, including American citizens.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated in a declaration that Beijing and Hong Kong officials used the “Hong Kong National Security Law” abroad to intimidate, suppress, and harass 19 democratic activists who were forced to flee overseas, including an American citizen and four American residents. In response, the US imposed sanctions on six individuals.
The sanctioned individuals are: Hong Kong’s Secretary of Justice Lin Dingguo, Police Commissioner Kelvin Xiao, Secretary-General of the National Security Commission for Hong Kong Elmer Yau, Assistant Director of the National Security Department Zhao Yonglan, Assistant Director of the National Security Department Wong Chun Chung, and Director of the Chinese Security Bureau in Hong Kong Dong Jing Wei.
Pompeo criticized Beijing for “violating its commitments to the residents of Hong Kong,” depriving them of their freedom and participating in “cross-border repression against activists within the United States.”
These sanctions signify a rare action by the Trump administration in promoting human rights. The US State Department stated that all assets and property rights held by the sanctioned individuals within the United States or under control of American individuals are frozen, and must be reported to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the Treasury Department. Additionally, if one or more entities owned directly or indirectly by the sanctioned individuals have 50% or more ownership, those entities will also be frozen.
Prior to this, Hong Kong’s highest official, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, had already been sanctioned by the US.
In 2020, China implemented the “Hong Kong National Security Law,” abandoning the “One Country, Two Systems” framework. The entire political space in Hong Kong came under pressure, with most pro-democracy organizations disbanding, and Hongkongers finding it difficult to voice their concerns. Freedom of speech in Hong Kong has also vanished as independent media outlets such as Apple Daily, Stand News, and Citizen News struggled to operate.
On Sunday, 17 illegal immigrants and gang members suspected of being involved with the terrorist groups “Araku Railroad” and MS-13 were deported by the United States to a terrorism detention center in El Salvador. Previously, 260 deported illegal immigrants were detained there.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed the news on Monday morning. The State Department designated these two gangs as foreign terrorist organizations in February.
Pompeo called this a “successful counterterrorism action” in which US officials collaborated with Salvadoran authorities to carry out the deportations. He also thanked the Salvadoran government for their cooperation in combating transnational crime and terrorism.
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele confirmed the operation on the social media platform X. He stated that all those deported by the US were “confirmed murderers and top criminals, including six child abusers.”
Bukele attached a video showing US military personnel handing over gang members to Salvadoran authorities, who were then shaved bald and transferred to prison.
US Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen recently released a video demonstrating the Trump administration’s determination to deport criminal illegal immigrants. The video showed dozens of bald men crowded in a cell behind her, arranged on three-tiered platforms.
The Trump administration is currently challenging a federal judge’s order that previously prevented the administration from deporting members of the two gangs under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act.
On Monday, three Democratic Senators urged President Trump to “thoroughly” revise US-China trade relations, including permanently normalizing trade relations and revising the 14 free trade agreements signed by the US and 20 countries, with the aim of revitalizing American manufacturing and strengthening national security.
The three Democratic Senators are Tammy Baldwin from Wisconsin, Gary Peters from Michigan, and Elissa Slotkin.
In a statement, they said that admitting China to the World Trade Organization and treating it as a market economy have been naive and erroneous steps. China’s non-market practices, human rights violations, and government-supported trade cheating have led the US to reevaluate its economic relationship, including permanent normal trade relations.
Senator Peters stated that American businesses and workers have paid the price for the current trade landscape for too long. He called on Trump to conduct a comprehensive review of trade policy to ensure that American workers are prioritized and prevent high-paying jobs from moving overseas.
The statement also mentioned that since 2001, existing policies have led to the loss of 4.3 million manufacturing jobs in the US.
Trump’s imposition of a series of tariffs on Chinese competitors, neighboring countries like Canada and Mexico, and specific industries such as automobiles and metals has significantly changed US trade policy but also caused financial market volatility and unrest.
Different opinions have been held by Democratic lawmakers, free trade groups, and some businesses, expressing concerns about the negative impact on the US economy. Supporters believe that Trump’s tariff policy can protect American companies and workers, create more jobs, counter unfair trade practices, focus on American development, and no longer subsidize foreign governments limitlessly.
Also, this Wednesday, April 2, Trump’s global reciprocal tariffs are expected to be released, targeting countries with significant trade surpluses with the US.
Taiwanese artists may need to be cautious! While they earn money in mainland China, if found to violate Taiwan’s relevant regulations or cooperate with the Chinese Communist Party, such as posting pro-CCP content, they may face fines from Taiwanese authorities.
The English-language Taiwan Times reported on April 1 regarding the aforementioned information. Previously, several Taiwanese artists posted on Weibo, claiming that Taiwan “must return” to (communist) China and reposting content from CCP mouthpiece media, causing societal attention.
To curb the behaviors of Taiwanese artists supporting the CCP and undermining the Republic of China, Taiwanese authorities will investigate and summon those artists who reposted CCP propaganda or supported CCP military activities. The Mainland Affairs Council has requested the Ministry of Culture to investigate several artists and conduct inquiries once they return to Taiwan.
Last year, when China held the “Joint Sword-2024B” military exercise, actress Ouyang Nana reposted CCP propaganda on social media, writing, “Taiwan has always been Chinese territory. There is only one China!”
Canadian-Taiwanese singer Angela Zhang also reposted CCP propaganda and wrote, “National reunification is unstoppable.” Taiwanese actor Lin Ruiyang posted an exercise image on social media, writing, “Defend national sovereignty and maintain national unity.”
The report mentioned that after CCP Foreign Minister Wang Yi referred to Taiwan as “Chinese Taiwan” last month, hundreds of Taiwanese artists reposted his statement, claiming that “Taiwan must return” to (communist) China.
The report quoted Taiwanese officials as saying that if Taiwanese artists cooperate with the CCP politically or militarily, they will be fined. The fines range from NT$100,000 to NT$500,000, and can be imposed multiple times.
The Ministry of the Interior will also investigate whether Taiwanese artists have registered for Chinese household registration. Officials stated, “If Taiwanese artists obtain a Chinese ID, their Taiwanese citizenship and household registration will be cancelled, preventing them from using their Taiwanese identity to assist the CCP in anti-Taiwan propaganda.”
Thank you for watching this edition of the news brief. Goodbye.