The ongoing border crisis in America poses significant national security concerns, including the potential for domestic terrorism. Since fiscal year 2021, there have been 9.2 million encounters nationwide, with 7.6 million being at the Southwest border. In June, ISIS-affiliated smuggling networks successfully smuggled more than 400 migrants across the southern border. And while more than 150 of them have been arrested by ICE, the whereabouts of more than 50 remain unknown.
A 2024 DEA report indicates that the Cartels now control an extensive network of smuggling routes into the U.S.
“The terrorism warning lights are blinking red again”, said Mike Morell, former deputy director of the CIA, comparing current national security concerns to that of Sep. 11 and calling for a sense of urgency.
This was not an isolated incident as more terrorists are being apprehended throughout the U.S., like Mohammad Kharwin, an Afghan national with ties to an anti-Western terror group called Hezb-e-Islami (HIG). He was processed at the border but later released via a program known as ATD. Mohammad was arrested almost a year later after the FBI notified ICE of Kharwin’s affiliation. (READ MORE: Joe Biden’s Executive Amnesty Is Illegal, Unjust, and Self-Defeating)
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported that 1.8 million illegal migrants had been observed to cross the border successfully without being processed, labeled as “gotaways.” These types of migrants bypass all existing immigration checks, making it impossible to verify their identities, backgrounds, or intentions. Additionally, the current vetting process utilized by CBP is only as effective as the individual’s biometric data collected, which is often limited at the time of the encounter.
A 2024 DHS threat assessment report indicated that approximately 160 non-U.S. persons on the FBI’s terrorist watch list have attempted to cross the Southern border, a 60 percent increase from the previous year. The shortcomings of the existing vetting process, combined with the immense pressure to process and release individuals quickly, enable bad actors to fall through the cracks and be released into our country. In fact, terrorists have already been caught roaming our communities.
On January 20, 2024, an affiliate member of Al-Shabaab, a U.S. designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), successfully crossed the Southern border and was living in the United States for nearly a year before he was arrested in Minnesota. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) later discovered that he was on the terror watchlist for bomb-making, and was involved in arms dealing while he was living in the U.S.
Many illegal aliens come from hostile countries including Russia, China, Syria, and Afghanistan. Earlier this year, ICE, in conjunction with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, arrested eight suspected terrorists with ties to ISIS. The arrests took place in New York, Philadelphia, and California.
The eight men were from Tajikistan, the country that ISIS-K considers as one of its main recruiting grounds. ISIS-K was responsible for the terrorist attack on Moscow earlier in March that killed over 130 people. The same group was also responsible for the suicide bombing attack in Afghanistan that killed 13 U.S. service members and roughly 170 Afghan civilians.
“The threats from homegrown violent extremists that is jihadist-inspired, extremists, domestic violent extremists, foreign terrorist organizations, and state-sponsored terrorist organizations all being elevated at one time,” said Christopher Wray, the director of the FBI.
While foreign terrorist organizations are exploiting our porous borders, nation-state adversaries are too. In FY2024, 24,376 Chinese nationals have been encountered at the Southwest border. That is an 8,000 percent increase compared to March 2021. For decades, China has been accused of various crimes against the U.S., including intellectual property theft, cyberattacks, and espionage. The CCP could be viewing America’s border crisis as the perfect opportunity to clandestinely embed agents within U.S. communities, establishing sleeper cells and conducting espionage activities.
The Mexican cartels have also used our weak borders to infiltrate the U.S. and distribute deadly drugs like Fentanyl, Methamphetamine, along with other ingredients for synthetic drugs. A 2024 DEA report indicates that the Cartels now control an extensive network of smuggling routes into the U.S., along with several drug distribution hubs throughout major American cities. (READ MORE: The Left’s Noncitizen Voting Gambit)
America’s border crisis poses serious national security risks that are likely to culminate in catastrophic consequences. The U.S. must adopt a comprehensive, multi-layered approach to secure its borders and enact stringent surveillance and vetting processes. Border security is national security, and it’s time for all levels of government to align and take decisive actions to safeguard America’s security.
