Pennsylvania Woman With Prior Immigration Conviction Faces Federal Charges After Kicking and Biting ICE Officers

A Federal Indictment With Deep Roots

Hua Zhen Dong, a citizen of the Republic of China, was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of assaulting federal officers, as announced by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. The case drew immediate attention not only because of the violent nature of the alleged encounter, but because of Dong's history with federal law enforcement — a history that stretches back more than a decade in the same small Pennsylvania college town.

In August 2015, then-restaurant owner Dong was among four defendants sentenced to two years' probation for conspiring to transport, harbor, and conceal undocumented workers as part of a scheme involving eight State College-area restaurant owners and managers. Hua Zhen Dong, the owner of Penang Asian Fusion, pleaded guilty to one count of harboring and concealing unauthorized immigrants and was sentenced to two years' probation. That prior conviction set the stage for what would happen on July 9, 2026.

What Happened on July 9

Hua Zhen Dong had an immigration warrant for her arrest and was found to be in State College on July 9, according to U.S. Attorney Brian D. Miller. An investigation showed that there was an immigration warrant for Dong's arrest at that time, and she reportedly refused to comply with the officers' investigation and kicked, bit, and scratched them as she resisted arrest.

Dong is charged with three counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal officers. The statement and the indictment do not detail the extent of any injuries sustained by the ICE officers during the encounter. The charges carry serious consequences — the maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is eight years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.

The Investigation and Prosecution

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. The involvement of HSI — the investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security — signals that federal authorities are treating the matter with considerable seriousness. Assistant U.S. Attorney Geoffrey W. MacArthur is prosecuting the case, placing it firmly within the federal court system rather than local or state jurisdiction.

The indictment itself is an accusation, not a conviction. Every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. But the three-count federal indictment, combined with Dong's prior guilty plea from 2015, means prosecutors have a well-documented history to draw from as the case moves forward.

Broader Context in a Charged Climate

The arrest and subsequent charges come amid a period of heightened immigration enforcement activity across Pennsylvania and the country. State College, home to Penn State University, has seen a string of ICE-related incidents in 2026, reflecting a national pattern of increased federal enforcement operations in communities large and small. Assaulting a federal officer during an immigration arrest is a federal crime regardless of the circumstances of the underlying warrant, and prosecutors have shown a clear willingness to pursue those charges aggressively.

As the case proceeds through the federal court system in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, the outcome will hinge on whether prosecutors can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Dong's actions during the July 9 encounter met the legal threshold for assault on a federal officer — a charge that, if proven, carries the potential for years behind bars. With a prior conviction already on record and a federal grand jury having found sufficient cause to indict, the legal road ahead for Dong will be a difficult one.