U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids Texas Bitcoin Mining Farm! Multiple Bitmain employees arrested, Sino-U.S. chip war heats up towards mining companies.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted a multi-agency raid on the Lonestar Dream mining farm in Texas, targeting the Bitmain maintenance center. The chip war and regulatory pressures have exposed risks in the U.S. Crypto Assets mining supply chain. (Background: U.S. Customs seized Bitcoin mining rigs, misidentifying them as Huawei RF, but has now fully released them, which is favourable for mining companies.) (Supplementary background: How low is the success rate for independent miners in “The Lone Warrior”? A comprehensive analysis of Bitcoin mining.) According to multiple sources who spoke to Blockspace, on the morning of the 29th, ICE, in collaboration with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, airlifted to the Lonestar Dream Bitcoin mining farm in Piote, Texas, with the target being the ASIC maintenance center operated by Bitmain. Reports indicate that ICE deployed high-caliber firepower on site. Witnesses described: “Helicopters, snipers, armed personnel… They asked leading questions, who does this, who does that…” Ultimately, 12 to 13 maintenance center employees (about half of their total staff) were taken away, focusing on Chinese citizens with expired visas. Notably, other large mining farms in Piote were not affected, indicating that the enforcement objectives seem to target the maintenance links associated with Bitmain, suggesting that the Crypto industry may be drawn into a larger geopolitical whirlpool. Concerns over chips behind immigration cases On the surface, this is an immigration check; however, the deeper reason may point to the U.S.-China “chip war.” The Trump administration required Customs to conduct “strategic reviews” of imported ASIC mining rigs by the end of 2024, which caused a backlog of equipment at ports. Law enforcement questioned whether the control boards might involve chips regulated by AI. At that time, the Department of Commerce was investigating whether the Chinese chip company, Sophgo (co-founded by Bitmain's Jihan Wu), violated export restrictions; this lightning action can be seen as a “prolonged scan” of high-risk components by the national security system. Compound regulatory pressures loom The Lonestar Dream mining farm incident has sounded the alarm for U.S. crypto companies. In the future, aside from immigration laws, mining farms must also comply with technology sanctions, land use, energy emissions, and local noise regulations. For miners relying on the Chinese supply chain, risks are gradually rising: once related components are classified as regulated items, import delays could significantly impact operations. It is expected that U.S. mining companies may need to list “geopolitical risks” as a core indicator and accelerate the de-China process to reduce the likelihood of equipment being seized or maintenance being obstructed. On one hand, this may stimulate domestic ASIC research and development in the U.S. or prompt operators to seek alternative supplies in policy-friendly countries; on the other hand, operational costs for U.S. miners may also rise, creating an increasingly complex landscape of national security and supply chain politics. Related reports Comprehensive analysis of Crypto Assets mining rigs: from CPU to ASIC, the evolution of mining hardware This man wants to send Bitcoin mining rigs into space: unlimited sunlight + zero cooling costs is the holy land for BTC mining The U.S.-China tariff war impacts: CleanSpark faces $185 million in tariffs due to imported BTC mining rigs. <U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids Texas Bitcoin mining farm! Multiple Bitmain employees detained, the U.S.-China chip war intensifies against mining companies> This article was first published on BlockTempo, the most influential blockchain news media.