A Lebanese migrant who illegally crossed into the U.S. under the Biden administration and confessed to being a Hezbollah operative with plans to “make a bomb” is finally set for deportation nearly a year later, thanks to the Trump administration’s renewed border crackdown.
Basel Bassel Ebbadi, 22, was nabbed by Border Patrol agents in El Paso, Texas, on March 9, 2024, and his chilling admission has since exposed glaring security lapses that the new administration is racing to fix.
Ebbadi, who claimed New York as his destination, told medical personnel during a screening, “I’m going to try to make a bomb,” according to a Border Patrol document obtained by the New York Post.
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The stunning revelation came days after his capture, sparking immediate federal action—though bureaucratic snags and a five-month prison stint delayed his exit. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed Monday that an immigration judge ordered his deportation on January 13, 2025, and the Trump team is now working to “boot him from the country,” the Post reported.
The case has fueled additional outrage over Biden-era border policies. Ebbadi, lacking documents he said were stolen in Costa Rica, admitted to seven years of Hezbollah training focused on “jihad” and killing non-Muslims, plus four years guarding weapons for the Iran-backed terror group.
Yet he also claimed he fled Lebanon to escape the organization, telling interviewers, “I didn’t want to kill people,” and “once you’re in, you can never get out.”
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ICE moved swiftly post-arrest with an “order of expedited removal,” but his April 26 conviction for illegal entry—and subsequent prison term—pushed back the process. He remains in ICE custody awaiting removal.
The Trump administration, which took office vowing to end lax border enforcement, is touting Ebbadi’s deportation as a win against the “catch and release” chaos it blames on Biden. Under that policy, nearly 400 suspected terrorists crossed the southern border illegally, with many—like a Somali Al-Shabaab operative who roamed free for a year before ICE nabbed him in Minnesota—released due to overwhelmed systems.
The Post notes Trump’s team is also hunting over 100 suspected ISIS-linked migrants let loose during Biden’s tenure.
“This is what happens when you leave the door wide open,” a Trump official told the Post, slamming the prior administration’s handling of the migrant surge.
The White House has axed “catch and release,” prioritizing detention and deportation to staunch the flow that saw millions enter unchecked. Ebbadi’s case, with its year-long delay, underscores the urgency: a self-professed terrorist lingered in U.S. custody while legal hurdles dragged on.
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