Tulane University graduate student Jiaxin Tian, 29, was arrested on dozens of child pornography charges in December 2025, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

According to an announcement Friday evening by U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement, Tian, a Chinese national, is in federal custody and, if convicted, faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Tian was initially arrested on state child pornography charges, but is now being prosecuted federally. 

The arrest was a part of a Pearl River County Sheriff’s Office undercover online investigation into individuals sharing child sex abuse material on the internet. 

Officials executed a search warrant at Tian’s residence on Coliseum Street in December 2025, recovering various electronic devices containing child sexual abuse material involving children under the age of 13. 

According to Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office, several immigration activists confronted law enforcement during the arrest.