99 Suspected Terrorists Released Into the U.S. Under Biden-Harris
FAIR has long warned that open borders, overwhelmed Border Patrol agents, 1.9 million “gotaways,” and large-scale, illegal parole programs are a recipe for disaster. Those concerns were verified by a House Judiciary Committee report released August 5. The report, Terror at Our Door: How the Biden-Harris Open Borders Policies Undermine National Security and Endanger Americans, revealed that of the more than 250 illegal aliens on the terrorist watchlist who were encountered by Border Patrol at the southwest border between fiscal years 2021 and 2023, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released at least 99 into American communities, and another 34 are in DHS custody but not yet removed from the United States.
In addition to those on the terrorist watchlist, the Judiciary Committee’s report further notes that tens of thousands of illegal aliens from countries that pose security risks have been encountered by Border Patrol in just the current fiscal year. As recently as June 2024, three Tajik nationals on the terror watch list were released after using the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) One app to schedule an appointment at a port of entry. The release occurred despite the DHS Secretary’s claim that the app allows the department to “screen and vet individuals before they arrive at our border.”
Those 99 individuals with ties to terrorist groups are likely only the tip of the iceberg. In addition to the 1.9 million gotaways (some of whom likely pose national security risks), some 75,000 Special Interest Aliens – foreign nationals with suspicious travel histories – were encountered attempting to enter the country between October 2022 and August 2023. Many more security threats may also be getting in because border enforcement personnel are so overwhelmed by the Biden-Harris border crisis and because they lack access to important information they need to identify threats. One Border Patrol agent told the New York Post, “Knowing who these guys are, we have, like, no access to anything international. Like, we really don’t and it kind of sucks.”
Despite these clear and present dangers, 72 percent of people who crossed the border illegally in the weeks after President Biden issued his so-called border crackdown order in June have been released into the country. Citizens of more than a hundred countries remain exempt from the order that bars people caught entering between ports of entry from entering asylum claims.