The United States has long struggled to secure its southern border, a critical issue that has become increasingly urgent in recent years.
As the Biden administration’s policies have effectively opened the floodgates, allowing millions to cross the border unchecked, a growing concern has emerged over the potential exploitation of this vulnerability by individuals with nefarious intentions, including suspected terrorists.
This crisis has not gone unnoticed by lawmakers, who are now sounding the alarm and demanding immediate action.
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In a letter to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) Chairman Gary Peters, a bipartisan group of senators, including Rick Scott and Rand Paul, have requested a hearing to examine the threat of terrorists exploiting the southern border.
The senators’ letter highlights the severity of the situation, citing recent incidents that underscore the urgent need for oversight and intervention.
Earlier this month, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), detained several individuals with suspected ties to the Islamic State.
These operations, conducted in New York, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles, involved foreign nationals who allegedly entered the U.S. through the Southwest border.
The senators’ concerns are further amplified by the staggering statistics. Since 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has encountered more than 8 million aliens at the Southwest border, a volume that overwhelms the system’s ability to effectively vet and track these individuals. Consequently, even more individuals evade capture, and the capacity to adequately vet those who are apprehended remains severely limited.
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Alarmingly, during this same period, CBP encountered more than 360 individuals on the terrorist watchlist attempting to cross the Southwest border illegally. This number marks a significant increase compared to the 11 encountered in the previous four years, underscoring the dangerous gap in national security that has emerged under the current administration’s policies.
The senators’ letter also cites the testimony of high-ranking law enforcement officials, who have expressed grave concerns over the escalating threat. In his testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on June 4, 2024, Attorney General Merrick Garland stated, “I’m worried about the possibility of a terrorist attack in the country after October 7. The threat level has gone up enormously. Every morning, we worry about this question.”
Similarly, FBI Director Christopher Wray, in his testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, stated, “We have seen over the last five to six years an increase in the number of known or suspected terrorists, in other words, watch-listed suspects attempting to cross the border.”
These alarming statements from the nation’s top law enforcement leaders underscore the urgency of the situation and the need for immediate action to address the growing threat.
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