EXCLUSIVE – FBI Director Kash Patel informed Fox News Digital that the recent case involving two Chinese nationals charged with smuggling a “dangerous biological pathogen” into the U.S. to research at the University of Michigan lab underscores a significant national security threat to the U.S. food supply.

“This case serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing efforts by the Chinese Communist Party to deploy operatives and researchers to infiltrate our institutions and target our food supply, a move that could severely damage our economy and put American lives at risk,” Patel said in a statement to Fox. “Introducing a known agroterrorism agent into the U.S. is not merely a legal violation—it poses a direct threat to national security. I applaud the FBI Detroit Division and our CBP partners for intercepting this biological threat before it manifested harm.”

Yunqing Jian, a research fellow at the University of Michigan, and her boyfriend, Zunyong Liu—both citizens of the People’s Republic of China—face charges in a criminal complaint of conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, providing false statements, and visa fraud, according to an announcement made by the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan on Tuesday. The FBI and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are leading the investigation.

The couple are accused of smuggling a fungus called Fusarium graminearum, which scientific literature classifies as a “potential agroterrorism weapon,” according to the Justice Department. Federal prosecutors note the noxious fungus causes “head blight,” a disease of wheat, barley, maize, and rice, and “is responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year.” 

CBP Director of Field Operations Marty Raybon said the criminal charges levied against Jian and Liu “are indicative of CBP’s critical role in protecting the American people from biological threats that could devastate our agricultural economy and cause harm to humans; especially when it involves a researcher from a major university attempting to clandestinely bring potentially harmful biological materials into the United States.”

“This was a complex investigation involving CBP offices from across the country, alongside our federal partners,” Raybon said. “I’m grateful for their tireless efforts, ensuring our borders remain secure from all types of threats while safeguarding America’s national security interests.”

Jian is still listed as a post-doctoral research fellow on the University of Michigan website as of Tuesday afternoon. Fox News Digital reached out to the University of Michigan for comment on Tuesday but did not immediately hear back. 

Anti-Israel demonstrators gather for a mock trial against the University of Michigan’s Board of Regents on the university’s campus in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on April 21, 2025.  (JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images)

The Justice Department noted that a trial cannot be held on felony charges in a complaint, and a determination will be made about whether to seek a felony indictment when the investigation is completed.

The charges were announced at a time when the Trump administration is cracking down on what they categorize as anti-American radicals at U.S. universities, particularly foreign students engaged in antisemitic or anti-Israel protests on campus. 

Last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio also announced he would be “aggressively” revoking the student visas for Chinese nationals, “including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.” 

Related to Harvard University in particular, the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement accused what is perhaps America’s most prestigious university of potentially having “collaborated with the CCP and other foreign adversaries.”