Hundreds of immigrants on the federal terror watch list have been caught at the southern and northern U.S. borders in recent years, and national security experts say there is a real threat of a terrorist attack on American soil as a result.
With the conflict between Israel and the Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas escalating, that threat has only grown.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection's San Diego field office warns that Hamas may attempt to send individuals to the U.S. through the southern border.
"San Diego Field Office Intelligence Unit (SDFO-FITU) assesses that individuals inspired by, or reacting to, the current Israel-Hamas conflict may attempt travel to or from the area of hostilities in the Middle East via circuitous transit across the Southwest border," an unclassified document from the office reads
"Foreign fighters motivated by ideology or mercenary soldiers of fortune may attempt to obfuscate travel to or from the US to or from countries in the Middle East through Mexico."
Lora Ries, a former acting deputy chief of staff for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, told The Center Square that there is a real threat from illegal immigrants connected to Hamas, the terror group that killed more than 1,400 in Israel and took dozens of hostages this month.
“A terrorist attack facilitated or inspired by Hamas is absolutely a real threat in the United States,” she said. “The visceral hatred toward Israel and America that’s on display here at home and around the world should be a wakeup call. Since Biden took office, millions of inadmissible aliens have flooded through the open borders and into our country from over 160 countries around the world – including those harboring terrorists.”
U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark E. Green, R–Tenn., raised similar concerns, pointing to federal data showing the high number of terrorism-connected migrants caught at the both the northern and southern border.
“Every American should be concerned about the state of our homeland security under this administration,” Green told The Center Square. “President [Joe] Biden and Secretary [Alejandro] Mayorkas’ refusal to properly enforce the laws passed by Congress or provide our frontline law enforcement with the policies they need to accomplish their mission has empowered our nation’s enemies.”
According to federal data, 736 known or suspected terrorists were apprehended at U.S. border in fiscal year 2023 alone, the most ever recorded according to available data. In recent years, there have been thousands of these migrants on the Terrorist Screening Center list.
