A group of Republican senators sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, urging increased security along the U.S.-Canada border.
According to a press release from Senator Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) office, “Canada recently increased the number of refugees they will allow to enter on temporary resident visas from Israel and the Palestinian Territories, including Gaza and the West Bank.”
“There is concern this may allow Gazans with potential terrorist ties to enter the U.S. through Canada,” the release continues. “Given the few reliable records or background checks available, Canada’s decision will turn the northern border into a much greater national security problem.”
Rubio, along with Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Mike Braun (R-IN), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and Josh Hawley (R-MO), wrote in the letter, “While the Biden Administration claims that all foreign nationals are inspected pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act, this administration’s lax border enforcement is increasingly apparent, as terrorists and known criminals continue to stream across U.S. land borders, including from Canada.”
They noted that so far in fiscal year 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations has “encountered more than 233 suspected terrorists at our northern border, with many more likely going undetected.”
“The possibility of terrorists crossing the U.S.-Canada border is deeply concerning given the deep penetration of Gazan society by Hamas,” the senators added. “It would be irresponsible for the U.S. to not take necessary heightened precautions when foreigners attempt to enter the United States.”
They requested answers to several questions relating to the northern border, including, “Have there been instances of Palestinian nationals entering the United States through our southern and/or northern borders?”
“If so, how many have been released into the U.S. despite the U.S. not accepting Gazan refugees? How many have been denied entry? For those that are denied, what is the process for removal?” the Republicans asked.
Swanton Sector Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia announced that more than 15,000 illegal immigrants have been apprehended at the Swanton Sector of the northern border across the last 10 months. The Swanton Sector provides border security for the state of Vermont and parts of New York and New Hampshire.
The number has “exceeded the total number of apprehensions made by Swanton Sector in the previous 13 fiscal years combined,” Garcia wrote.
