In a recent hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee, FBI Director Christopher Wray acknowledged a concerning trend: individuals from the federal government’s “Terrorist Watch List” have been entering the United States via the U.S.-Mexico border.
Wray disclosed that the FBI is actively pursuing several such individuals who, classified as illegal aliens, have made their way into the U.S. This revelation is particularly significant in light of the latest data from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which indicates a notable increase in such cases. In October alone, 13 illegal aliens from the Terrorist Watch List were encountered at the border, surpassing the total number apprehended between 2018 and 2020, during former President Donald Trump’s tenure.
A recent incident highlighted by Breitbart News further underscores this security challenge. An illegal alien, previously sought for terrorism charges in Senegal, was released into the U.S. interior by the Biden administration’s DHS after crossing the border. This individual was subsequently arrested near One World Trade Center in New York City, following an alert from the FBI to the DHS about his terrorism connections. He is currently in DHS custody, awaiting deportation.
Amidst these developments, the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) has initiated legal action against the DHS. The lawsuit alleges that the department is concealing information about the nationalities and group affiliations of the nearly 300 illegal alien terrorists encountered at the border since early 2021.
A DHS memo released last month subtly acknowledged the growing concern regarding the terrorism threat at the border. The memo pointed to the likelihood of continued high numbers of migrant encounters in the coming year, emphasizing the increasing risk this poses to American national security.
This situation presents a complex challenge for U.S. border security and immigration agencies, as they strive to balance humanitarian concerns with the imperative of protecting national security.