A California man was arrested after another attempt to breach security at Trump's Mar-a-Lago

PALM BEACH – A Chinese national from Southern California was arrested again after attempting to enter Mar-a-Lago on Thursday while President-elect Donald Trump was on the property, Palm Beach police said Friday.

Zijie Li, 39, was arrested by Palm Beach police on October 30 and released on Thursday. According to an arrest report, he returned to Mar-a-Lago, 100 S. Ocean Blvd, around 5 p.m. back.

Early Wednesday, the former president declared his victory at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, which is 5 miles west of Trump's home.

Palm Beach Police investigators assigned to the Mar-a-Lago Sanctuary were informed that an Uber with Li as a passenger had stopped at the south gate entrance. According to the arrest report, U.S. Secret Service agents, along with deputies from the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office and Mar-a-Lago Security, are guarding the entrance.

He was held until city police arrived.

The man was arrested at 5:17 p.m.

He had been issued a trespassing warning when he was arrested on July 31.

“The Palm Beach Police Department, in discussions with the United States Secret Service, believe that Li's increasing attempts to enter Mar-a-Lago to contact the President-elect could lead to another incident involving Li. “The need to increase enforcement to prevent Li from gaining access to Mar-a-Lago,” the police report states.

The police department “found probable cause to arrest Zijie Li for trespassing after a warning because he unlawfully, without authorization, license or invitation, intentionally trespassed and trespassed on any property other than a building or conveyance, the property of Mar.” -a-Lago stayed in it.

He was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail Thursday at 11:10 p.m.

A judge on Friday ordered Li held on $100,000 bail and ordered him to have no contact with Trump, his properties and Mar-a-Lago. He also can't carry weapons.

His next court date was scheduled for November 21st.

Li has been accused of multiple trespassing offenses over nearly four months.

Here are the incidents as detailed in the arrest report:

• On July 19, he received a trespassing warning for attempting to enter Mar-a-Lago to speak with Trump.
• On July 30, police encountered Li in the city of Palm Beach on Chilean Avenue.
• He was arrested on July 31 for violating a trespassing warning issued on July 19, police said. That case is still pending, with a requirement to stay 500 feet away from Mar-a-Lago and Trump.
• On Oct. 30, Palm Beach police responded to 8100 South County Road where Li was reportedly attempting to get assistance from a resident entering Mar-a-Lago. This was approximately 500 feet from the northern boundary of the safe zone. Li was stopped in a white rented RAV 4. He was Baker Acted.

According to the deputy district attorney, Li is in the United States on a student visa in California. In 2023, Li applied for a concealed weapons permit but was denied, according to prosecutors.

Since the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, during a July 13 rally, security had been increased outside Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence.

Later that month, the U.S. Secret Service ordered South Ocean Boulevard closed effective July 20. Officials said the road will remain closed at least until the Nov. 5 general election.

But in August, the U.S. Secret Service, other law enforcement agencies and city officials reached a late agreement to reopen the street when the president is not in Palm Beach.

The security zone includes barricades, traffic cones, signage and checkpoints “to prevent unauthorized entry into the security zone.”

The safety zone begins at the intersection of South County Road and South Ocean Avenue. There is a checkpoint in the parking lot of the Bath and Tennis Club, 1170 S. Ocean Blvd., which is an expanded portion of the security zone.

According to a press release from Mar-a-Lago, Trump was “very opposed” to closing the road.

The U.S. Coast Guard Sector Miami has also established new restricted “safety zones” in the water near Mar-a-Lago whenever it or other protected visitors are in the city. The Coast Guard and other law enforcement agencies will deploy boats with flashing blue lights in three zones encompassing the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean. The original order was valid until November 30th.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said there will be no extreme changes near Mar-a-Lago this week because security is already at presidential level.

Supporters gathered near his residence on Southern Avenue.

Mar-a-Lago, built in 1927, includes 126 rooms and 62,500 square feet on 17 acres. It has been owned by Trump since 1985.

Other people have also been charged with trespassing at Mar-a-Lago in recent years, including Chinese nationals.