151 Illegal Immigrants on Terror Watchlist Apprehended in Less Than a Year

Originally published September 26, 2023 6:39 am PDT

Three individuals on the terrorism watchlist were apprehended at the southwest border in fiscal year 2020.

QUICK FACTS:

• Border Patrol has arrested 151 illegal immigrants recorded on the national terrorism watchlist.
• The apprehensions occurred between October 2022 and August 2023.
• In fiscal year 2022 alone, 98 individuals on the terrorism watchlist were captured.
• In comparison, zero terrorism watchlist identities were arrested on the Southwest Border in fiscal year 2019, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
• There have been over 1.8 million illegal immigrant encounters by Border Patrol in fiscal year 2023 to date.
• Last month alone, Border Patrol recorded 181,059 migrant encounters at the Southwest border’s ports of entry.

Joe Biden and open-border Dems are setting all the wrong records.

In FY22, a THEN all time high of 98 terror watchlist arrests occurred.

That record was once again shattered with 151 arrests in FY23.

Terrorists are strolling across the Southern Border and they don't care.

— Rep. Eric Burlison (@RepEricBurlison) September 25, 2023

STATMENT FROM CUSTOMS AND BORDER PATROL:

• According to Troy A. Miller, Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner, “CBP remains vigilant in the face of ruthless smugglers and transnational criminal organizations who exploit vulnerable migrants, the same criminal organizations trafficking in lethal drugs that harm our communities.”
• “Our operational tempo along the border has increased in response to increased encounters, and we remain squarely focused on our broader security mission and enforcing U.S. immigration laws,” Miller said.
• “We are maximizing consequences against those without a legal basis to remain in the United States, including by processing more individuals into expedited removal than ever before. The men and women of CBP continue to work, day in and day out, to protect our nation, disrupting the entry of dangerous people and dangerous goods into the country while providing humanitarian care for vulnerable individuals.”
• CBP noted that its message “for anyone who is thinking of entering the United States illegally along the Southwest border is simple: don’t do it.”

BACKGROUND:

• Last week, Border Patrol apprehended 11,000 migrants at Arizona’s Tuscon Sector.
• Unofficial reports claim the Tuscon Sector apprehended about 40,000 migrants so far in September.
• According to the reports, Border Patrol agents also took part in 500 rescue missions and intercepted 15 human smuggling attempts.