0:00
A Chinese man is heading to federal prison for attempting to smuggle undocumented migrants between
0:04
the U.S. territories of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam. 36-year-old Jungli Peng was sentenced after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges related to
0:13
transporting illegal aliens and defrauding the United States. In addition to a three-month prison term, he was also ordered to complete 50 hours of community service
0:23
According to U.S. prosecutors, Pang attempted to ferry 12 Chinese nationals from Saipan, the largest
0:29
of the Northern Mariana Islands to Guam. His goal was to take advantage of a loophole
0:34
allowing visitors from China to come to the Northern Mariana Islands without a U.S. visa, unlike Guam
0:40
Some Chinese citizens will then unlawfully attempt the more than 100-mile journey by sea to Guam
0:46
in search of better wages and job opportunities, paying between $3,000 and $5,000 for a spot
0:52
on a human-smuggling ship to do so. However, the vessel Pang was operating
0:57
ran out of fuel before reaching its destination, and passengers had to be rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard
1:03
Already in 2025, there have been multiple instances of Chinese nationals being arrested
1:08
for running operations like this one, including one such attempted crossing just last month
1:13
The U.S. attorney for Guam and the northern Mariana Islands emphasized the dangers of
1:17
these journeys, saying the risk to personal safety is substantial. For Straight Arrow News, I'm Jack Almer
