A Chinese illegal immigrant, Xiaoqin Yan, who previously set fire to an Alabama church, has escaped from a federal prison in Connecticut, highlighting yet another failure of Biden’s border policies. The incident reveals shocking vulnerabilities in both our immigration system and federal detention facilities, putting American communities at risk from foreign criminals who shouldn’t be in our country in the first place.
Chinese National’s Attack on American Church
Xiaoqin Yan was sentenced to 102 months in federal prison after setting multiple fires inside the First Baptist Church in downtown Montgomery, Alabama, on September 30, 2021. The fires caused significant damage to the historic church, requiring the Montgomery Fire Department to respond and extinguish the blazes before they could destroy the building.
A Chinese student overstays visa, commits a crime, escapes prison, is recaptured & faces more trial & imprisonment.
Why? Just get it out of the country. US taxpayers will pay Millions trying & imprisoning.https://t.co/h7v9UlosCz
— Deplorable_cpep (@cpep) April 15, 2025
Before the arson attack, Yan had been observed watching the church for months and had multiple concerning encounters with church staff. Investigation revealed that Yan had referred to the pastors as “rich white men,” suggesting possible anti-American and anti-Christian motivations behind her attack on a place of worship that serves as the heart of the local community.
Illegal Immigration Status Enabled Criminal Activity
When arrested on October 4, 2021, federal agents discovered items and clothing matching those seen on church surveillance videos, along with an illegal handgun in Yan’s possession. Yan had overstayed her non-immigrant visa, making her presence in the United States unlawful and her possession of a firearm a federal offense on top of the arson charges.
Meet Chinese National Xiaoqin Yan. She was in our country illegally and convicted for arson and possessing a firearm by an illegal alien after setting fire to a church. She was sentenced to 8.5 years in prison.
She was just indicted for ESCAPING PRISON and now faces an… pic.twitter.com/Bck5BQsPd0
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 16, 2025
This case exemplifies how our broken immigration system fails to track and remove those who abuse our visa programs and remain in the country illegally. The investigation involved multiple agencies, including the Montgomery Fire/Rescue Bureau of Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, all of which had to dedicate valuable resources to apprehend a foreign national who should never have been able to remain in the country after her visa expired.
Prison Escape Highlights Security Failures
After being sentenced and transferred to a federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut, Yan managed to escape on December 10, 2024, further demonstrating the systemic failures in our federal institutions. A federal grand jury has indicted Yan for the escape, which could add up to five additional years to her sentence if she is convicted.
While federal agents were able to apprehend Yan on the same day as her escape, the incident raises serious questions about prison security and the handling of criminal illegal immigrants. The ease with which a foreign national convicted of arson and illegal firearm possession was able to escape federal custody represents a dangerous vulnerability that could put more American communities at risk from those who should never have been in our country in the first place.