The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has identified over 400 migrants brought into the U.S. by an ISIS-affiliated network and labeled them as "subjects of concern," according to a new report by NBC News.
About 50 of them remain on the loose, with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents seeking to arrest them on terrorism charges. Moreover, 150 of them have been arrested, some of them already deported and officials know the whereabouts of 17 more, who could be arrested soon. Others could have left the country voluntarily.
"In this case, it was the information that suggested a potential tie to ISIS because of some of the individuals involved in [smuggling migrants to the border] that led us to want to take extra care," a senior official told the outlet.
He added that law enforcement has been arresting migrants tied to the network for months and that there is no information at the moment that suggest they could pose a threat to the U.S. Several of them were released because they were not on the government's terrorism watchlist.
However, authorities did recently arrest arrest eight men from Tajikistan who are suspected of having ties with ISIS. And Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a hearing in early June that he is "worried about the possibility of a terrorist attack in the country after October 7," making reference to the attack by Hamas on Israel which catalyzed a war in the Middle East and sparked turmoil in the U.S. "The threat level has gone up enormously. Every morning, we worry about this question," Garland added.
The Department of Homeland Security Inspector General has stated in a report that DHS has not been effectively screening and checking non-citizens and asylum seekers who are coming to the United States.
The department reported that without the ability to fully screen and vet non-citizens, CBP is unable to properly conduct screening at air and land ports of entry.
"DHS will remain at risk of admitting dangerous persons into the country or enabling asylum seekers who may pose significant threats to public safety and national security to continue to reside in the United States until these challenges are addressed," the department said in the report, according to Fox News.
In an attempt to start dealing with the issue, the Biden administration announced in early May a policy where immigration judges and asylum officers will now have more access to classified information to help them more easily identify migrants that may have ties to terrorism or pose a threat to public safety.
The new policy, initially announced on a May 9 memo by the Biden administration, instructs asylum officers making an initial determination about an immigrant's eligibility to pursue an asylum claim to go to the head of their individual agency, like ICE or U.S. Citizenship and Immigration services, for approval to share classified information.
This rule overrides a 2004 directive that said classified information could only be used in immigration proceedings "as a last resort."
© 2024 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
