According to the report, between fiscal years 2021 and 2023, border agents in the southwest sector encountered individuals on the watchlist from 36 countries, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritania, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Yemen — nations known for having well-established terrorist networks. Of the 250 illegal aliens on the terrorist watchlist encountered by Border Patrol, at least 99 have been released into the interior of the U.S. Moreover, immigration judges have granted bond to more than two dozen individuals on the watchlist detained between 2021 and 2023. Officials testifying before the committee explained that this occurs because judges often lack access to classified information, and gaps in information-sharing leave them unaware of potential terrorist ties. “More alarmingly, untold scores of potential terrorists have entered the United States because they were not on the terrorist watchlist at the time that DHS released them into the country,” said the committee. The report highlights that once individuals on the terrorist watchlist are released, the Border Patrol and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) often lose track of their whereabouts. Federal officials do not consistently record addresses for illegal aliens, making it challenging to locate those who may pose public safety threats. Oftentimes, these individuals are only found if arrested by state or local police for unrelated issues. “Releasing terrorists into the United States has become almost routine for the Biden-Harris Administration,” said the committee. The report's release comes amid heightened vigilance as public officials warn of the potential for terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. Foreign terrorists, including ISIS and al-Qaida, increasingly have the “potential coordinated attack here in the homeland,” FBI Director Christopher Wray ominously warned in April. According to the committee’s report, so far during fiscal year 2024, Border Patrol has encountered tens of thousands of illegal aliens from countries that could pose national security risks, including 2,134 Afghan nationals, 33,347 Chinese nationals, 541 Iranian nationals, 520 Syrian nationals, and 3,104 Uzbek nationals. The report also notes that during fiscal year 2022, Border Patrol experienced nearly nine times more encounters with individuals on the terrorist watchlist than during fiscal years 2017 through 2020 combined. In total, along the southwest border, there has been “a more than 3,000 percent increase of such watchlisted alien encounters compared to all four years under the Trump Administration,” the Judiciary Committee wrote.A new report from the House Judiciary Committee reveals a surge in border encounters with illegal aliens on the terrorist watchlist since President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took office.
