Here’s a story the mainstream media won’t give more than a passing mention: A Chinese illegal alien, convicted of torching a historic church in Alabama, is now back in the headlines—this time for trying to break out of federal prison.
Let’s rewind.
Back in 2021, a woman named Xiaoquin Yan, a 31-year-old Chinese national, set fire to the First Baptist Church of Montgomery, Alabama—a church that’s been around since 1829. Yan didn’t just light a match and walk away. She set four different fires throughout the sanctuary on September 30, 2021, causing tens of thousands of dollars in damage to a building that has stood for over a century.
This wasn’t random. It was targeted.
According to investigators, Yan had been scoping out the church for months, and even referred to the church’s pastors as “rich white men” in her own words. Her attack wasn’t just arson—it was calculated, motivated, and destructive to a core institution of American faith and tradition.
From Student Visa to Criminal Fugitive
Yan originally came to the United States on an F-1 student visa—but like so many others in the broken immigration system, she overstayed her welcome and became an illegal alien, living in the U.S. unlawfully. Despite her visa status expiring, she remained in the country and eventually carried out her attack.
In March 2023, Yan was sentenced to 102 months (over 8 years) in federal prison. She was sent to Danbury Federal Correctional Institution in Connecticut.
But that’s not the end of the story.
Fast-forward to December 10, 2024—Yan allegedly escaped from the prison.
According to a recent federal grand jury indictment out of New Haven, Connecticut, Yan left the correctional facility and was officially listed as escaped. Fortunately, law enforcement acted fast, and she was recaptured later that same day. Still, the fact that a convicted arsonist with an anti-Christian chip on her shoulder could slip out of a federal facility is raising serious questions.
Now, she’s facing up to five more years behind bars just for the escape charge—on top of her current sentence.
Imagine for a moment that this had been a church arsonist with a MAGA hat. It would be front-page news for weeks. Yet here we are with a convicted Chinese illegal alien targeting a historic Christian church and attempting to escape federal prison—and it barely registers in the mainstream press.
Why? Because it doesn’t fit the narrative.
But the truth matters.
President Trump has long warned about the dangers of a lax immigration system that allows people to overstay visas, go off the radar, and commit violent crimes. This story is yet another example of why immigration reform—and enforcement—must be a top priority.
No one with a student visa should be allowed to disappear into the system, let alone vandalize sacred American spaces with such hate and malice.
And yet, under prior leadership, people like Yan were allowed to remain unchecked.
Yan will now be prosecuted for her escape attempt, and if convicted, she could add another five years to her sentence. But bigger questions remain:
- How did she escape in the first place?
- Why wasn’t her immigration status flagged earlier?
- And how many more like her are out there right now, unnoticed in a broken system?
As President Trump and his administration work to restore law and order, it’s stories like this that remind us why secure borders, strong enforcement, and protecting American institutions matter more than ever.
We’ll keep you posted.
