(VitalNews.org) – The border crisis is turning into one of the most disastrous in American history, and many are losing patience with President Joe Biden and his administration for failing to get the crisis under control. More than merely putting a strain on resources from the massive influx of people, an even bigger problem is that some of those people are on terrorist watchlists.
Last weekend, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released statistics showing that in September alone, the Border Patrol arrested 18 individuals who also appeared on the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) terrorist watch list. So far, fiscal year 2023 has been a record-breaking year for such encounters at the southern border between ports of entry. In total, 169 illegal immigrants on terrorist watch lists have been intercepted between entry ports at the border over the last year.
The record was already set in 2022 with 98 encounters, but not only does the last 12 months top fiscal year 2022 but surpasses the last six combined. And these are only the encounters between the ports of entry. When counting the encounters made directly at the ports, that number jumps to 564 illegal immigrants who also appeared on watch lists. In fiscal year 2019, the total was 538.
There’s also a growing concern amongst Republican politicians that terrorists from the Middle East will also become more frequently encountered at the southern border, a risk they believe is increased by the current conflict between Israel and Hamas. In a threat assessment report released by the Department of Homeland Security last month, they warned that “criminal actors” and “terrorists” could “exploit” the “complex security environment” at the border and “elevated flow” of migrants to get into the US.
Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Arkansas sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who claims the DHS is working “tirelessly” to keep the border secure and called on Mayorkas to address the increase in illegal aliens linked to terrorists following the attack on Israel by Hamas.
Copyright 2023, VitalNews.org
