Border Patrol encountered sixteen illegal aliens on the terror watch list in February

AP Photo/Christian Chavez

Border Patrol terror watch-list encounters are on track to exceed last year’s record, according to new data released this week by Customs and Border Protection (CBP). In February, Border Patrol agents stopped 16 people on the FBI’s terror watch list who crossed illegally at the southern border. The total number of encounters for the fiscal year 2023 is 69 to date, which means the number of such encounters will exceed the total from the prior fiscal year. That number is 98. Keep in mind that only eight terror watch list arrests were made between fiscal years 2017 and 2020 between ports of entry. In 2021, there were 15 such encounters.

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This is a dangerous consequence of the Biden border crisis. The porous southern border is a national security risk. It doesn’t get mentioned much but the possibility of something bad happening because a bad actor was able to enter the United States illegally is something everyone should be concerned about. The numbers were very low in past years so it is understandable that concern about dangerous people coming across the border wasn’t making headlines. Biden’s lack of prioritizing border security in order to protect the United States has changed that concern. Two or three bad guys with evil plans can do great harm and kill many Americans when it is least expected.

At the ports of entry at the northern and southern borders, CBP’s Office of Field Operations has encountered 214 people on the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB) so far this fiscal year. In fiscal year 2022, there were 380 apprehensions, far more than the 157 in fiscal year 2021 and 196 in fiscal year 2020.

The numbers of those encountered on the TSDB are only a small number compared to the overall number of migrants, which was more than 150,000 in February. But the increase has fueled fears about who may be attempting to enter the United States.

The numbers were released hours after the House Homeland Security Committee held a field hearing in McAllen, Texas this week. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz testified that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) does not have operational control of the border, despite the Biden administration’s insistence that it does. No one believes the lies coming from the White House about border security after looking at the number of illegal aliens coming across the border each month. It’s just a matter of time before something happens and a tragedy occurs because the border is open.

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Chief Ortiz directly contradicted Secretary Mayorkas. Mayorkas has testified under oath before Congress that the border is secure and has not been held accountable for his deception. There have been no consequences for the open border because this is intentional. Joe Biden ended the policies and agreements made by the previous administration on his very first day in office.

Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee are ready to turn up the heat on Mayorkas after hearing Chief Ortiz’s testimony. They describe his testimony as “earth-shattering.” Chairman Mark Green (R-TN) said Mayorkas has some ‘splainin’ to do.

“In five of those nine southwest border sectors, we have seen an increase in flow and that has caused a considerable strain on our resources and really has forced the Border Patrol to move so agents and even migrants to some of the other areas,” he said in response to a question about the border being secure.

In an interview with Fox News Digital on Thursday, Chairman Mark Green described those takeaways as “huge statements.”

“I knew that he was the kind of guy who would shoot straight and be honest. And we prepared, so we did our homework and we were prepared. I think you put the two together, and you got what we got, which is some pretty earth-shattering stuff,” he said.

“I think we want to talk to all the sector chiefs, but certainly the five that are struggling with the overflow right now and get their perspectives,” he said. “And then at some point, Secretary Mayorkas is going to have to come and answer the question, did he lie to Congress or is he just ignorant about the definition in the code on what defines operational security?”

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So, what was Secretary Mayorkas doing while the chief was speaking truth to power in the field hearing? Mayorkas was partying with MSNBC big shots and former White House press secretary Jen Psaki. She has a new show on that network and the occasion was a celebratory dinner for the launch of the show coming on Sunday. Priorities.

In the lead-up to Sunday’s launch of Inside with Jen Psaki, MSNBC boss Rashida Jones hosted a private dinner party on Wednesday night in Washington, D.C. to officially welcome the network’s newest member to its weekend team.

The 25-person dinner party held at Maydan included a mix of off-air and on-air MSNBC staffers like Rebecca Kulter, Andrea Mitchell, Jonathan Capehart, Psaki’s executive producer, Alex Lupica, and her former colleague at the White House and weekend host Symone Sanders.

Politicians like Senior Advisor to the President of the United States Anita Dunn, Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, accompanied by his wife Tanya Mayorkas, also attended, as did the Ambassador of France Laurent Bill.

Mayorkas fiddles while Rome burns. Move along, nothing to worry about. Some liberal journalists were on the dinner guest list so that will help Mayorkas as the press continues to turn a blind eye to his incompetence and lying to Congress. Journalists Jonathan Capehart and Kara Swisher are reported to have been there.

Sooner or later our luck will run out and something bad will happen because terrorists came across the southern border and made their way into the United States. It’s just a matter of time as long as Joe Biden ignores the risk and continues as he has been doing since he entered office.

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David Strom 6:00 AM | April 26, 2024
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