The US authorities announced the arrest of 5 people on Wednesday for their involvement in an operation called "fox hunting," and it is believed that the Chinese Communist regime ordered its implementation to return Chinese to their country under the pretext of fighting corruption.
In all, "8 agents of the People's Republic of China have been charged with this illegal police operation," said John Demers, Assistant US Attorney at a press conference.
Demers indicated that 3 of the accused are likely still in China, while the others were arrested in the United States in California, New Jersey and New York, to be brought before a judge.
Among those arrested was a US private investigator who was hired to help spy on a Chinese family, according to the accusations announced by the Ministry of Justice.
The judicial official said that the detainees are accused of being part of "Chinese brigades that are working to return Chinese to their country and entered the United States without coordination" with the US authorities.
He added that upon their arrival on American soil, "they monitored and identified people suspected of having fled (from China), and resorted to intimidation methods to force them to return to China."
He said that some of those pursued by these brigades "may be guilty of what they are accused of, but in many cases they are opposed to the Chinese leader Xi, competitors, or just opponents or criticisms."
"The chasers have become chasers," he added.
For his part, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Christopher Ray said, "The charges issued today reflect another example of China's continuing illegal behavior on a large scale."