The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) apprehended six individuals with possible ties to terrorism trying to cross the southern border in 2018.
Confirmed: Terrorist-linked illegal immigrants tried to cross southern border
CBP confirmed it only encountered six immigrants along the southern border during the first half of 2018 whose names were on a federal government list of known or suspected terrorists. According to NBC News, “The low number contradicts statements by Trump administration officials, including White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, who said Friday that CBP stopped nearly 4,000 known or suspected terrorists from crossing the southern border in fiscal year 2018.”
“Overall, 41 people on the Terrorist Screening Database were encountered at the southern border from Oct. 1, 2017, to March 31, 2018, but 35 of them were U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents,” NBC News notes. “On the northern border, CBP stopped 91 people listed in the database, including 41 who were not American citizens or residents.”
White House advisor Kellyanne Conway is now characterizing recent White House claims about 4000 suspected terrorists being apprehended at the US southern border as an “unfortunate misstatement.” https://t.co/FCVwuVWQsQ
— Evan Kohlmann (@IntelTweet) January 8, 2019
The Trump Administration has claimed that nearly 4,000 terror suspects have been stopped at the border to bolster its case for building a wall to keep illegal immigrants out. “Nearly 4,000 known or suspected terrorists were apprehended attempting to come into the United States through various means in the last year,” Vice President Mike Pence said on ABC’s “Good Morning America” Tuesday. Pence’s statement is broader that Sarah Sanders’s, and includes those trying to enter through airports and ports.
The White House is currently vowing to continue to the ongoing federal government shutdown until the $5 billion in funding for the wall is met. President Trump is also threatening to declare a national emergency to get border wall funding.
Pelosi rejects terrorist threat at border
During a recent negotiation to end the government shutdown, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rebuked Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, saying she didn’t believe there was a terrorist threat at the border. When Nielsen tried to show the Democrat leader a presentation of the danger posed by our porous southern border, Pelosi reportedly replied, “I reject your facts.”
But, as we’ve seen, while the number of terrorist-linked illegal immigrants crossing the border is low, it still presents a threat to the country. And it’s a threat Democrats would rather not hear.
Why This Matters
Whether the number of known or suspected terrorists encountered at America’s border is one or 4,000, anyone seeking to do intentional harm in the U.S. is one person too many. Recall that there were only 19 terrorists who carried out 9/11. More importantly, we’ve seen a number of terrorist incidents in recent years where only one or two people inflicted violence on innocents in the name of their cause.
Whatever happens with the border all and government shutdown debate, keeping potential terrorists out of the United States should always be a top priority, and our government should make every effort possible to make sure the proper resources are allocated to guarantee this is being taken care of.