America’s farmland—the breadbasket that feeds our families and sustains our economy—is under attack. This isn’t hyperbole or conspiracy; it’s the sober reality revealed by recent arrests of Chinese nationals attempting to smuggle deadly pathogens onto U.S. soil. If we don’t wake up and bolster our defenses, we risk losing control over the most basic necessity of our national security: our ability to feed ourselves.
Federal agents recently apprehended Chinese molecular biologist Liu Zunyong at Detroit Metro Airport, where Customs officers discovered concealed packets containing Fusarium graminearum, a dangerous fungus capable of devastating entire crop yields. Liu initially tried to feign ignorance, claiming that someone else must have slipped these pathogens into his bag. But as the heat intensified during questioning, Liu admitted the truth—he knowingly smuggled these toxic fungi into America.
This isn’t an isolated incident. Liu’s accomplice and girlfriend, Jian Yunqing, was employed at a University of Michigan laboratory, and federal investigators uncovered proof of her allegiance and membership to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Just days later, authorities intercepted another Chinese researcher, Han Chengxuan, attempting to smuggle biological materials related to roundworms from Wuhan—the infamous city synonymous with the COVID-19 pandemic—into the very same university lab. Han confessed that she had even shipped petri dishes and plasmids into the U.S. ahead of her arrival.
What we’re witnessing is not just a failure of airport security or vetting procedures, but a clear and present danger from a foreign adversary intent on exploiting academic openness and scientific collaboration to wage biological warfare against America. We must recognize these cases for what they are—intentional acts of agroterrorism intended to cripple our nation’s food supply, undermine our economy, and sow chaos among our citizens.
Federal prosecutor Jerome Gorgon described these smuggling attempts as the “gravest national security concerns.” His warning isn’t an exaggeration. Consider the potential consequences: Fusarium graminearum isn’t merely destructive to plants; it produces toxins that can harm livestock and human beings alike. A genetically modified variant of such fungi, enhanced through gain-of-function research, could amplify devastation to catastrophic proportions. Lawrence Sellin, a retired Army Reserve colonel and China expert, rightly points out that “a genetically-modified agroterrorism weapon could have a more devastating effect on American crops, livestock, and human health,” potentially dwarfing previous biological threats we’ve encountered.
The University of Michigan, where these infiltrations took place, lists thirteen professors and researchers in its Molecular Plant-Microbe Interaction Working Groups. Of these, only one is American, while the majority hail from China and South Korea. This disturbing imbalance highlights a vulnerability that our adversaries eagerly exploit: our universities’ blind embrace of globalism and diversity over rigorous national security safeguards. How many other institutions across our country face similar risks? How many labs, funded by American taxpayers, are unwittingly hosting potential CCP operatives?
The Chinese Communist Party has made no secret of its intentions. Retired CIA operations officer Clare Lopez emphasizes that Chinese military doctrine explicitly incorporates biological warfare against agriculture, animals, and humans into their strategic playbook. “They consider biological warfare as part of their military repertoire,” Lopez warns. Yet, our policymakers and academic leaders have been slow to respond, favoring political correctness and international cooperation over the vigilant protection of American interests.
We’ve seen the consequences of relying on foreign countries to control our supply chains—from critical pharmaceuticals to semiconductors. We cannot allow food—the most essential of all supply chains—to become another strategic vulnerability. President Trump and America First conservatives have long argued for stronger border security, a revival of domestic manufacturing, and strict oversight of sensitive research institutions. These arrests underscore the urgency of our agenda.
It’s time for decisive action. Our universities must end their naïveté and begin stringent vetting of foreign nationals—especially those from adversarial nations like China. Congress must enact clear, enforceable legislation to safeguard our food supply and penalize institutions that fail to comply. President Trump’s leadership is needed more than ever to ensure that our nation’s security isn’t compromised in the name of globalist ideology.
We cannot allow our enemies to weaponize the very science and openness that have made America a beacon of progress. The fight to protect our food security is a fight to protect our sovereignty and independence. We must remain vigilant, informed, and fiercely committed to America First principles to counter this alarming threat.