The recent apprehension of three Palestinian migrants at the southern border, reportedly linked to terrorist activities, represents the latest incident involving migrants with potential terror associations. This comes in light of warnings from officials for agents to remain vigilant for individuals connected to Hamas.
According to the New York Post, the three migrants with “possible ties to terrorist organizations” surrendered at the California border, with one individual reportedly possessing “compromising images” on their device, including a photo of a masked figure wielding an AK-47.
Along with the Palestinians, there is also a Turkish migrant who is suspected of having connections to terrorist groups.
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Migrants line up at the southern border in San Diego on June 6, 2024. (Fox News)
The specific terrorist organizations tied to the migrants remain unidentified, and federal authorities are currently investigating the matter.
This apprehension follows a memo from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued in October in San Diego, advising that individuals “inspired by, or reacting to, the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict may try to travel to or from conflict zones in the Middle East via indirect routes through the Southwest border.”
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Migrants arrive at a makeshift camp after crossing the nearby border with Mexico near the Jacumba Hot Springs on Feb. 23, 2024, in San Diego. (Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images)
“Foreign combatants motivated by ideology, or mercenary individuals, might try to disguise their travels to and from the U.S. and the Middle East via routes through Mexico.”
The warning includes potential indicators such as male individuals of military age, ownership of military equipment, traveling alone, having no clear return plans, and connections to the relevant region.
CBP has emphasized that it “provides frontline personnel with comprehensive situational awareness to ensure they remain proactive in fulfilling our homeland and border security missions.”
“Situational awareness briefs are not the same as threat evaluations,” an official clarified.
The number of illegal migrants identified on the terror watchlist has greatly increased during the Biden administration, rising from just a few prior to his term to 98 in the fiscal year 2022. That number surged to 169 in the fiscal year 2023, data from federal sources show. So far in the ongoing fiscal year, there have been 93 encounters.
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The TSDS includes critical information on terrorist identities. Initially comprising only known or suspected terrorists, it has expanded to include additional individuals viewed as “potential threats” to the U.S., including affiliates of monitored individuals.
However, concerns regarding potential terrorists crossing the border persist, particularly due to the significant influx of migrants, with a record high of 2.4 million encounters in FY 23. Recently, alarms were raised after DHS identified over 400 individuals smuggled into the U.S. from Eastern European and Central Asian countries by an ISIS-linked trafficking network.
DHS noted that, among the 50 individuals still unaccounted for, a small number may appear on the watch list, but there is no intelligence suggesting they pose an immediate threat.
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Prior to this, eight individuals from Tajikistan with links to ISIS were apprehended by federal agents in New York City, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia. All entered illegally via the southern border, but no alarming information was detected during their processing.
FBI Director Christopher Wray has expressed concerns about potential terrorist plots and noted an increasing worry about the likelihood of coordinated attacks in the U.S., akin to the ISIS-K attack on a concert venue in Russia last March.
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In March, he also cautioned against a “wide range” of threats at the border.
A protester displays a Hamas flag while masked during a protest in Washington, D.C., on July 24. (Lucas Tomlinson/Fox News Digital)
“From the FBI’s viewpoint, we are observing a variety of serious threats originating from the border. This includes various forms of drug trafficking – the FBI alone has seized enough fentanyl over the past two years to potentially kill 270 million individuals, and that’s solely from fentanyl,” he remarked.
Fox News’ Louis Casiano, Greg Wehner, and Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
