U.S. Border Patrol encountered over 250 migrants who were on the terrorist watchlist over a two-year stretch, with at least 99 of them released into the country, according to a Congressional report released Monday.
The claims have been made by the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee in a new report, which blames the Biden administration for allowing suspected terrorists from three dozen countries into the U.S.
“While national security officials alert Americans about potential terrorist threats, Biden-Harris Administration officials continue to downplay the national security nightmare created by the border crisis,” the Judiciary Committee report said.
Nationals known to be on the terrorist watchlist came from 36 countries, including Afghanistan, Lebanon and Syria, the committee said.
Some of those encountered by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) were able to make appointments at ports of entry using the CBP One app, despite claims by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas that the app can screen for potential threats.
During fiscal years 2021 through 2023 — which covers the period from October 2020 to September of last year, most of which fell under the Biden administration — immigration judges granted bond to at least 27 people on the watchlist and granted asylum to four of them, according to the committee.
The report comes as immigration cements itself as a key issue of the presidential election campaign for both parties, with Vice President Harris’ record questioned by Republicans and defended by Democrats.
The House Judiciary Committee, which includes GOP provocateurs Jim Jordan and Matt Gaetz among its members, said it was releasing the report “to inform legislative reforms to secure the border and stop the Biden-Harris Administration’s destruction of our national security”.
Issues with migrants using fake documents to get through border checks and the current system of “catch and release” pending court hearings inside the U.S. were highlighted in the report.
One case study highlighted was that of Jovokhir Attoev, a national from Uzbekistan who was on the terror watchlist and had spent two years living in the U.S. after authorities claimed they could find no issue with him. He was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE) in April 2024.
Another, Mohammad Kharwin from Afghanistan, was released by CBP in March 2023 and spent nearly a year living in the U.S.
Kharwin was arrested by ICE in February 2024, but released a month later after posting a $12,000 bond and an immigration judge deemed him to not be a threat, despite being on the watchlist.
The report points to these cases as “systemic issues” with the immigration system, including the courts which deal with immigration cases, saying judges are ill-equipped to make informed decisions.
It also says that screening and vetting procedures are not adequate and calls for better tracking of those release by the Department of Homeland Security.
In an ominous conclusion, the report warned “the worst could still be yet to come.”
Newsweek reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and the White House for comment on the report Monday afternoon.
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