San Diego County, California – California officials told Fox News that the surge in migrants crossing the southern border, including those who are not apprehended by immigration authorities, poses a clear national security threat.
“I don’t think it’s out of the question to believe that the Hamas-style attack that happened on October 7th could happen to us,” said El Cajon Mayor and Congressional candidate Bill Wells. “We may see another attack like 9/11 or something we’ve never seen before.”
“I don’t mean to scare you, but I think it would be foolish not to believe it,” he added.
Migrants cross through a gap in the U.S.-Mexico border fence in Jacumba Hot Springs, California. (Mark Abramson/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
California crisis: Immigrants overwhelm state, local official warns ‘no end in sight’
Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens last month described not knowing who is crossing the southern border illegally as a “national security threat.”
“The thing that keeps me up at night is that we have 140,000 confirmed fugitives” by fiscal year 2024, Owens said in an interview on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” He mentioned migrants being seen on cameras turning on or crossing the border. Not in custody.
It’s the 140,000 known resorts that keep me up at night
Border Patrol does not know what these individuals are bringing into the country or what their intentions are in the United States, he said.
“To us, these things represent a threat to our community,” he said. “Border security is an important part of national security.”
Freddy Iván Jandres Parada, an alleged senior leader of MS-13, had been wanted by the FBI for several years. Authorities arrested the Salvadoran national in the San Diego area last month, according to court records. (FBI)
‘Spineless’: Texas rancher says leaders are making us ‘a laughing stock’ as border residents live in fear
Last month, authorities captured Freddy Ivan Jandres Parada, whom the FBI described as an MS-13 leader, on the California-Mexico border after more than three years on the run. Los Angeles Times report. Two weeks later, Border Patrol agents reported catching another MS-13 member trying to sneak into the Border Patrol near Calexico, just east of the Border Patrol’s San Diego area.
“I’m glad they caught this guy,” San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond said of Jandres Parada. “But how many others have we encountered that we don’t know about?”
Someday we’ll have a rude awakening
Desmond visits borders and transit points where migrants are dropped off, meeting and talking to people from countries such as Haiti, India, Pakistan and China.
“Communist China is not necessarily our friend, so there are tensions there,” he said. “So many people are willing to just walk across the border — they may have good intentions, but they may not.”
Unchecked border crossings can result in a “rude awakening”:
See more FOX News digital originals here
Desmond also argued that “there is no proper vetting,” noting that border officials can only check the criminal and terrorism databases of the United States and some allies.
“They don’t have a Chinese database. They don’t have a Pakistani or Venezuelan database to see if they have any criminal records,” he said.
In fiscal year 2023, more than 3.2 million migrants were encountered nationwide, primarily at the southern border, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. Although the number of monthly encounters has slowed since hitting a high of 370,899 in December, it is on track to set a new annual record in 2024.
“One day we’re going to have a terrible awakening,” Desmond said. “Something will happen where people can come across the border and harm us and then accomplish something.”
San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond (left) and El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells are unhappy with the federal government’s border controls. They said hundreds of migrants are dropped off in the region every day, many heading to other cities and states, while those who remain put a strain on local resources. (Hannah Rae Lambert/Fox News Digital)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Wells said, “everyone was very focused on security.”
“We never imagined that we would just allow people to come into this country without any background checks and just say, ‘No, they need asylum, that’s OK.'” he said.
“We’ve changed so much in such a short period of time that I think we’re going to pay the price,” Wells added.
To learn more about Wells and Desmond’s story, click here.
