So far this year, more illegal immigrants on a terror watch list have been arrested crossing the southern border than in the previous five years combined, according to statistics.
According to Customs and Border Patrol figures, 50 migrants who appeared in the federal Terrorist Screening Dataset have been intercepted while attempting to cross into the US between official checkpoints at the southern border since the fiscal year began in October.
According to CBP enforcement statistics data issued on Wednesday, that’s up from 15 for the fiscal year 2021, three in 2020, none in 2019, six in 2018, and two in 2017.
It comes as overall illegal border crossings surge to new records and President Biden is blasted for what many see as his lax attitude to illegal immigration, compared to Donald Trump’s unashamedly hardline stance during his time in office.
In May, encounters at the southern border hit a new all-time high of 239,416, according to figures released earlier this week.
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich said he believes that individuals with terror ties are attempting to take advantage of the chaotic situation on the border to sneak into the country.
‘These aren’t people that are coming here because they want to work at a hotel or a restaurant,’ Brnovich told Fox News in an interview.
‘These are people clearly that are using this crisis, this lack of border security in order to endanger our national security. And that’s why we’re seeing these unprecedented numbers.’
The subject of potential terror suspects using the southern land border to enter the US unlawfully has gained increasing attention in recent months.
CBP only resumed publishing its data on the subject last month, following pressure from Republican lawmakers.
Soon after President Joe Biden took office, CBP stopped posting updates on terror watchlist encounters, labeling the issue ‘law enforcement sensitive’.
Republican Representatives James Comer and John Katko urged Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandra Mayorkas to publicly share the amount of migrants detained at the southern border whose identities are on the Terror Screening Database in March.
‘It is no secret that terrorists and other bad actors attempt to infiltrate the United States by exploiting weaknesses in border security and screening,’ the congressmen said.
‘Reporting indicates that multiple individuals with terrorist ties have been recently apprehended after illegally crossing the border, and that such encounters may be increasing. The American people deserve to know whether President Biden’s weak border policies are allowing terrorists to enter our homeland.’
In December – which is part of the ongoing 2022 fiscal year – U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Yuma Sector busted a 21-year-old Saudi Arabian national with ties to a Yemeni terror group.
While the man’s identity was withheld, the sector stated that he was “a positive match associated to multiple Yemeni persons of interest.”
The guy was wearing a volunteer paramedics jacket from an ambulance firm in Central Oneida County, New York, in an odd twist.
Border resources are depleted, according to Homeland Security officials, when agents face 5,000 migrants every day. They saw roughly 8,000 people every day last month.
Border officers said there were more repeat crossings in May than typical because migrants who were ejected under Title 42, a pandemic-era rule that is currently in court, risk no legal consequences if they try to enter again.
According to CBP, 177,793 distinct persons attempted to cross in May, and 25% of those stopped by officers had attempted to cross at least once in the previous 12 months. Prior to Title 42, the average re-encounter rate was 15%.
The majority of migrants attempting to cross in May were single adults (69 percent).
In addition, unlike past months, Title 42 is no longer the primary authority used to deport migrants; just 42% of migrants were deported as a result of the CDC’s health order.
The majority of migrants deported under Title 42 were single people; only around one out of every six migrants who arrived in families with children under the age of 18 were subject to Title 42. The restriction does not apply to unaccompanied minors.
Under Title 8, 58% of students were expelled. When individuals attempting to cross the border illegally cannot show that they have a “credible fear” of being deported, they are subject to Title 8, a US immigration policy. DHS has stated that once Title 42 is repealed, it will extend the use of Title 8.
The Biden administration planned to end Title 42 on May 23 but a federal judge in Louisiana blocked the move three days before.
Migrants have been expelled more than 2 million times without a chance to seek asylum since the rule took effect in March 2020.