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The brutal terror assault that Hamas launched in opposition to Israel final week is intensifying Republican issues about what they see as an unsecured border and a historic migrant disaster that has left Border Patrol brokers overwhelmed.
“We’re weak when we’ve all these military-age males coming in. Do you assume that our enemies haven’t been taking a look at that weak point?” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis stated on CNN this week.
DeSantis pointed to frame encounters of migrants from Iran, Russia, China and the Center East: “That’s not good for the safety of this nation.”
TOM HOMAN SOUNDS ALARM ON BIDEN’S BORDER LEAVING US VULNERABLE TO TERRORISTS: ‘I’VE NEVER BEEN MORE CONCERNED’
Asylum seekers heading to the U.S. journey on a prepare after 1000’s of migrants crossed into america, in El Carmen, Mexico, September 21, 2023. (REUTERS/Daniel Becerril)
Fox Information reported this week that Customs and Border Safety (CBP) has encountered 1000’s of “particular curiosity aliens” since 2021. “Particular curiosity aliens” are folks from nations recognized by the U.S. authorities as having situations that promote or defend terrorism or probably pose some kind of nationwide safety menace to the U.S.
In the meantime, the variety of encounters with folks on the phobia screening information set, generally known as the watchlist, hit a brand new file in FY 2023. There have been 154 encounters on the northern and southern borders amongst ports of entry — greater than the final six years mixed, and 505 encountered on the ports of entry.
These watchlist hits are individuals who have been stopped, and it doesn’t imply that these encountered are terrorists, with not solely suspected terrorists however members of the family and associates being included on the record. There have been no publicly reported incidents of Border Patrol brokers encountering Hamas operatives. Nonetheless, it has raised issues about who is perhaps getting previous Border Patrol brokers as “gotaways.”
Home Homeland Safety Committee Chair Mark Inexperienced stated this week that the “open border is the largest nationwide safety menace we face at present.”
Sen. Ted Cruz stated on his podcast this week that “the danger of a critical terrorist assault in america is correct now larger than it has been any time since September 11.”
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“I believe there’s a confluence of quite a few elements. One, clearly, probably the most vital conflict in Israel in 50 years, probably the most vital assault on Israel in 50 years. Quantity two, two-and-a-half years of open borders on our southern border, 7.6 million folks coming in illegally together with a major variety of folks on the terrorist watch record, and an publicity that there might be a major variety of terrorists from nations within the Center East who’ve come into this nation up to now two and a half years,” Cruz stated.
Mark Morgan, a former performing CBP commissioner in the course of the Trump administration, advised Fox Information Digital that the assault “ought to function a ‘wake-up name’ to concentrate to the alarms we’ve been sounding for some time that border safety is synonymous with nationwide safety.”
“World Islamic extremists’ dedication to do hurt to the U.S. is unwavering and simply as robust because it was 22 years in the past, and this assault ought to push away our false sense of safety with respect to our personal intelligence capabilities — we’ve an unlimited quantity of intelligence gaps, and we’re not infallible,” he stated.
It has raised issues on the northern border as nicely. Reps. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., and Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., have launched a decision to acknowledge the “inflow of recognized or suspected terrorists via America’s northern border as a menace to nationwide safety.”
Kelly famous that the “majority of suspected terrorists caught this yr have crossed between the U.S. and Canada, which is the longest steady border between two nations in the complete world.”
“The very first thing dangerous guys do is go the place the nice guys aren’t. Proper now, all our good guys are coping with Biden’s disaster on the Southwest border, leaving the north unprotected and weak to criminals, cartels and terrorists,” Zinke stated.
Migrants are seen crossing the northern border. (Customs and Border Safety)
On Wednesday, DHS advised Fox Information Digital that DHS does “not have particular and credible intelligence indicating a menace to america presently stemming from the Hamas terrorist assaults in Israel.”
The DHS spokesperson added the division is “carefully monitoring unfolding occasions and can proceed to have interaction in info sharing with our intelligence and regulation enforcement companions at dwelling and overseas.”
“This information-sharing helps be sure that we’re positioned to assist mitigate any dangers to nationwide safety or public security,” the spokesperson stated. “Our multilayered border safety efforts embrace numerous screening and vetting processes that work to detect and stop people who pose nationwide safety or public security dangers from coming into america.”
On the similar time, DHS has acknowledged the potential danger. Its menace evaluation warned that terrorists and criminals “might exploit the elevated circulation and more and more complicated safety setting to enter america.”
“People with terrorism connections are excited by utilizing established journey routes and permissive environments to facilitate entry to america,” the evaluation additionally stated.
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“I’ve by no means been extra involved in regards to the security and safety of this nation than I’m proper now,” former performing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Thomas Homan advised “FOX & Pals First” on Thursday.
“I am telling you, one thing’s coming. I do not know what number of terrorists have crossed the border, however sometime we will discover out, and it should be a foul day for America.”
Fox Information’ Invoice Melugin, Griff Jenkins, Andrew Mark Miller and Elizabeth Heckman contributed to this report.
Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Fox Information Digital, primarily protecting immigration and border safety.
He might be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter.
Hamas terror assault fuels conservative issues about border safety amid migrant disaster
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