Comer says the rising number of terrorism suspects at the border is a ‘clear national security risk’; 16 more terrorist suspects detected at border in April

AP Photo/Andres Leighton

Comer says the rising number of terrorism suspects at the border is a ‘clear national security risk’:

GOP launches probe of terrorism suspects crossing the border

House Republicans have launched a probe into the soaring number of terrorism suspects who’ve been detected trying to sneak into the U.S. under President Biden, calling it a “clear national security risk” and demanding Homeland Security cough up its plan for stopping the surge.

House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer is leading the effort, joined by Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark Green.

They pointed to the 96 people on the terrorism watchlist who’ve been caught at the southern border over the past seven months — by far a record pace — and said if that many are being detected, it begs the question of how many more are getting through.

“There is a growing risk that dangerous aliens with terrorist ties are making it across the border into the United States. This is a clear national security risk. We need to know that the Department of Homeland Security is making every effort to handle the risks presented by gotaways with potential terrorist ties,” Mr. Comer, Kentucky Republican, said.

The administration, in previous communications to Congress, has assured lawmakers that those caught at the border with terrorism-related records are “detained and removed.” But Mr. Comer and the other chairmen pointed to CBP’s website, which says they “may” be detained and removed “to the extent possible” under law and policy.

The lawmakers on Friday asked Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to explain what that means and to reveal any blockades on detaining terrorism suspects. -->READ MORE HERE

AP Photo/Fernando Llano, File

16 more terrorist suspects detected at border in April:

Border Patrol agents detected 16 more terrorist suspects sneaking into the U.S. last month, bringing the total to 96 this fiscal year.

With five months still to go in the fiscal year, that figure is already nearly equal to the 98 caught in all of 2022 — a number that had obliterated all previous records.

Since the start of fiscal year 2021, agents at the southern border have detected 209 people on the terrorist watchlist. By contrast, from 2017 through 2020 they detected a total of 11.

The terrorism numbers were revealed Wednesday as part of Homeland Security’s monthly update on illegal immigration at the borders.

Customs and Border Protection reported 275,448 encounters with unauthorized migrants. That included a record surge of Venezuelans who rushed the border, defying Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’s insistence that his new “parole” program for Venezuelans, Haitians, Cubans and Nicaraguans had solved the situation.

All told, the Border Patrol reported catching 182,114 illegal immigrants at the southern border and 977 more at the northern border. Officers at ports of entry encountered another 29,287 unauthorized migrants at the southern border and 13,155 at the northern border.

But the big number came at ports of entry not along the borders. Nearly 50,000 unauthorized migrants came through airports and seaports in April. --->READ MORE HERE

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