International Desk: U.S. federal agents arrested two New York residents for allegedly operating a Chinese “secret police station” in the Chinatown district of Manhattan on Monday in what prosecutors said was part of a crackdown on Beijing’s alleged targeting of dissidents.

Lu Jianwang, 61, and Chen Jinping, 59, face charges of conspiring to act as agents of China’s government without informing U.S. authorities and obstruction of justice. They were released on bond following an initial appearance in Brooklyn federal court, reports Reuters.

A 2022 investigation published by Spain-based advocacy group Safeguard Defenders reported that China had set up overseas “service stations,” including in New York, that illegally worked with Chinese police to pressure fugitives to return to China.

The Chinese government has said there are centers outside China run by local volunteers, not Chinese police officers, that aim to help Chinese citizens renew documents and offer other services.

The Department of Justice has been ramping up probes into what it calls “transnational repression” by U.S. adversaries such as China and Iran to intimidate political opponents living in the United States.

“We cannot and will not tolerate the Chinese government’s persecution of pro-democracy activists who have sought refuge in this country,” Breon Peace, the top federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, told reporters.