3 Palestinian terror suspects caught at border after Hamas warning.
The capture of three Palestinian migrants at the southern border with alleged terror ties has raised concerns about the potential threat posed by individuals entering the country illegally. According to reports, the migrants turned themselves in at the border in California, with one individual found to have “possible ties to terrorist organizations” and disturbing images on their phone, including a photo of a masked man holding an AK-47 rifle.
Additionally, another migrant from Turkey is also suspected of having connections to terror groups, although the specific organization has not been disclosed, and the case is currently under investigation by federal authorities.
These apprehensions come after Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a memo in October, warning officials to be on the lookout for individuals inspired by or reacting to conflicts in the Middle East, including the Israel-Hamas conflict, who may attempt to enter the US through the Southwest border.
The memo highlighted indicators such as military-age males, possession of military gear, single travelers, lack of a return plan, and associations with certain regions as potential red flags for CBP agents to identify suspicious individuals.
Under the Biden administration, the number of illegal migrants with names on the terror watchlist has seen a significant increase, from just a handful before Biden took office to 98 in fiscal year 2022, reaching 169 in fiscal year 2023. So far in the current fiscal year, there have been 93 encounters with individuals on the watchlist.
The Terrorist Screening Database (TSDS) which contains information on terrorist identities, has expanded to include individuals who represent a potential threat to the US due to connections with known affiliates of watchlisted individuals.
Given the large influx of migrants at the southern border, with a record 2.4 million encounters in fiscal year 2023, concerns about terrorists potentially exploiting this situation remain high. Recently, 400 individuals from Eastern European and Central Asian countries were identified as being brought to the US by an ISIS-affiliated smuggling network, raising alarm within the Department of Homeland Security.
FBI Director Christopher Wray has expressed concerns about potential coordinated attacks in the US, similar to the ISIS-K attack in Russia, emphasizing the variety of threats that originate from the border, including drug trafficking. The FBI seized enough fentanyl in the past two years to potentially kill 270 million people, highlighting the grave dangers posed by illicit activities at the border.
Efforts to enhance border security remain a top priority for federal agencies, as they work to identify and prevent potential threats to national security posed by individuals with terror ties attempting to enter the US illegally.
