(Minghui.org) When one Shen Yun Performing Arts company finished its European tour and returned to the U.S. on March 11, they were stopped by a Chinese-speaking U.S. customs officer. While repeating propaganda from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the officer repeatedly attempted to block the Shen Yun artists from entering the U.S.
The incident has triggered concern in the U.S. Congress, Department of State, and Department of Homeland Security. Many people are wondering: why would this man repeat the CCP’s propaganda while working as a U.S. customs officer?
CCP Ideology Causes Harm Across the U.S. Border
From its Land Reform campaign to the Anti-Rightist Movement, from the Cultural Revolution to the Tiananmen Square Massacre, the CCP’s has had a bloody history driven by hatred and brutality. To achieve its goals, the CCP has systematically brainwashed Chinese people with lies and hate propaganda. For example, it mixes the concepts of the Chinese race with the CCP ideology, leading people to mistakenly believe that Chinese descendants need to stay loyal to the regime wherever they are.
In reality, the concept of “Chinese people” includes many ethnic groups; as a nationality, it represents one’s privileges and responsibilities associated with one’s citizenship of the country. Strictly speaking, despite the ongoing persecution by the CCP (a political party), Falun Gong practitioners are still entitled to legal rights just like other Chinese citizens. It is the CCP that distorted this concept to target certain minority groups at will by naming them enemies of the state and forcing the public to join the persecution campaign.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) requires its employees to be U.S. citizens. That means the Chinese-speaking man who works as a CBP employee must have sworn the following Oath of Allegiance:
“I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.”
Obviously, this oath was not as influential in the officer’s mind as the decades-long brainwashing by the CCP.
The CCP Uses “Being Political” as a Pretext to Target People at Will
In communist China, any individual or group the Party dislikes can be labeled as “political.” Once labeled, the targeted individual or group would be subject to discrimination, humiliation, brutality, and even killing.
In fact, this is another term distorted and abused by the CCP. For example, a large number of Chinese government officials–especially high officials–enjoy special privileges, including bribery, lavish lifestyles, holding passports from multiple countries, and transferring assets overseas, but these key political figures are not labeled as “political.” On the contrary, only when selected individuals or groups are deprived of basic rights are they called “political.” Isn’t this ironic?
In an ordinary society, people have basic human rights and legal rights such as voting and expressing their opinions. But the CCP’s brainwashing has led Chinese people to view these basic rights as privileges given by the Party. Thus, the Party can deprive people of their rights at will.
The CCP Opposes Faith Systems, Leading to Moral Corruption
When attempting to stop the Shen Yun artists from entering the U.S., the Chinese-speaking CBP officer told nearby coworkers, “They’re Falun Gong. They’re political. They’re illegal.” By doing so, the officer essentially acted against his duty to safeguard America, a country established on the freedom of belief. His remarks reveal how deeply the CCP’s ideology has distorted people’s minds in China.
On the surface, the Party also gives some ideological freedom, such as in academic research, and it even allows the existence of churches and temples. But in practice, all these institutions and venues are required to follow the Party’s leadership unconditionally. This is why Falun Gong is persecuted and underground churches are targeted.
This is not unexpected, as all communist leaders have targeted religions, from Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin to today’s CCP officials. The core teachings of religions and faith systems emphasize moral values and being good. This is opposite to the hatred and brutality advocated by the CCP.
By targeting traditional values and faith systems, however, the CCP has led China on a road of no return. Chinese society today is rife with murder, promiscuity, drug abuse, violence, recycled sewage oil, fake meat, fake medicine, and many other ills. People deceive one another for personal gain and seek pleasure without moral restraint. These mindsets and behaviors harm not only Chinese citizens and their children but also the international society, old and young alike.
Safeguarding Freedom of Belief and the Free World
This is why the Chicago airport incident has drawn intense reactions from U.S. lawmakers, the Department of State, and the Department of Homeland Security.
In a letter to CBP on March 15, U.S. Representative Scott Perry said he was disturbed that the Chinese CBP officer specifically questioned Shen Yun artists’ religious beliefs and claimed that the group was “illegal” due to their religious beliefs. “If substantiated, this is a breathtaking and reprehensible violation of their constitutional rights,” he wrote. “Is this officer working to assert Chinese policy through his official U.S. government position?”
Mr. Perry wondered why the customs officer’s line of questioning would be considered appropriate. “I want to know this individual’s background,” he explained in an interview. “We absolutely need to be on the lookout for these kinds of things. And I think we need to be proactive.”
“These reports are troubling - at best - and demand immediate investigation. Such action is critical - not in the least of which is to protect the First Amendment rights of these and all U.S. Citizens. Perhaps as urgent is the need to ascertain and prevent officers with foreign sympathies from gaining and using an official position to assert their personal beliefs on others,” Mr. Perry continued in his letter.
Several other lawmakers have expressed similar concerns and called for action. Rep. Brian Babin from Texas said it was “totally inexcusable for this to happen in the United States at the hands of an American official.” “There should be a thorough investigation, and if it proves to be accurate, the customs official should be terminated immediately,” he said in an interview. “We should never allow the PRC [People’s Republic of China]—one of the most repressive countries on the planet—to have influence over our federal government.”
Rep. Don Bacon from Nebraska hopes the incident “gets investigated.” “A law enforcement-type official at the airport harassing an American citizen—we have freedom of religion here, and we should protect that,” Mr. Bacon remarked, adding “There should be some disciplinary action taken” for such behavior.
Rep. Michelle Steel from California wrote, “Religious profiling by an American government official is inexcusable, and failure to hold this individual accountable risks further discriminatory behavior.”
As this incident shows, the deep, systematic brainwashing by the CCP has distorted people’s minds and endangers the free world. Even after leaving China, some Chinese people continue to work on behalf of the CCP and act as its agents. Rejecting the CCP’s ideology is crucial, not only for Chinese people who have become permanent residents or citizens of other countries but also for the entire free world.
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Category: News Commentary
