U.S. Forced the Eviction of the Chinese Police Station in NYC: Report

Late last month, the State Department told me that the FBI had confirmed the closure of the Chinese police station in New York City. As I reported at the time, State declined to answer follow-up questions, and the FBI didn’t comment any further than that.

Now there’s more reason to believe that the U.S. government forced the eviction of the alleged Chinese law-enforcement outpost, as opposed to the other possibility, which is that individuals affiliated with the office chose to close it amid heightened scrutiny. (Last year, the FBI reportedly raided the location, at the Lower Manhattan office of the America ChangLe Association, a nonprofit with Chinese Communist Party ties. A number of journalists, including this National Review reporter, also paid visits to the location.)

Last week, NTD Television confirmed my January 30 report about the closure, citing an interview with someone allegedly affiliated with the police station.

“We have halted our operations,” said the man, who apparently remained anonymous, in an interview with NTD. “The U.S. government told us we can’t stay open.”

From the NTD report, it’s not clear whether that individual referred to any specific agency. But the New York Times previously reported that the FBI raid came as part of a criminal investigation into the alleged Chinese police station conducted by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn.

Although NTD characterizes him as “a staff member from the police station,” it’s also not clear whether the interviewee is affiliated with the police outpost itself, or rather with the America ChangLe Association.

Either way, this tidbit about the case is noteworthy and adds additional context to the State Department’s vague admission from last month, as the FBI and Justice Department maintain a studied silence about the station’s current status amid a likely criminal investigation.