At least 99 individuals on the U.S. terrorist watchlist were released into the country during the Biden-Harris administration after they crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally, according to a new congressional report.
Border Patrol agents encountered more than 250 illegal migrants on the terrorist watchlist along the southern border between fiscal years 2021 and 2023, according to a report released Monday by the House Judiciary Committee. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) then released at least 99 of these individuals on the watchlist freely into the country.
Another 34 suspected terrorists are currently in DHS custody but have yet to be removed from the U.S., according to the report.
“While national security officials alert Americans about potential terrorist threats, Biden-Harris Administration officials continue to downplay the national security nightmare created by the border crisis,” the report stated. “For example, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas repeatedly claims that illegal aliens are adequately screened and ‘individuals who pose a threat to national security or public safety are detained.’”
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 26: U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas testifies during a hearing before the House Committee on the Judiciary at Rayburn House Office Building on July 26, 2023 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. The committee held a hearing on the oversight of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
“But the on-the-ground reality reflects serious — and potentially dangerous — flaws in the open-borders policies, as DHS has released into the country illegal aliens on the terrorist watchlist,” the report continues.
Border Patrol agents encountered foreign nationals on the terror watchlist from 36 different countries during the Biden-Harris administration, including nations that are known as terrorist hotbeds such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Tajikistan, Yemen, Lebanon and Somalia, among other countries, according to the House Judiciary Committee.
Under the Biden-Harris administration, Border Patrol agents have encountered more than 7 million foreign nationals attempting to cross unlawfully into the country, according to the latest figures by Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Among those arrested have been 375 illegal migrants on the federal government’s terrorist watchlist — representing an increase of more than 3,000% in apprehended suspected terrorists compared to the Trump administration.
Immigration judges granted bond to at least 27 illegal migrants on the terrorist watchlist who were apprehended crossing into the U.S. between ports of entry between fiscal years 2021 and 2023, according to the report. Additionally, immigration judges reportedly even granted asylum to at least four individuals on the watchlist.
The report follows the arrest of several Tajik nationals across the U.S. earlier this year who are suspected of having ISIS ties.
If sufficient evidence is compiled on an individual that strongly suggests they have ties to terrorism or terrorist organizations, their name will be placed on the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB), which is shared and monitored by multiple government agencies, including CBP.
DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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