The Department of Homeland Security has identified more than 400 people who have been brought to the United States from Eastern Europe and Central Asia by ISIS-linked smuggling networks in the past few months, a senior Homeland Security official confirmed to Fox News on Wednesday.
Authorities have arrested more than 150 people who have been deported, are in the process of being deported, or are currently under further review. Authorities did not say whether or how many people are on the terror watch list. Of the remaining 50 fugitives, authorities acknowledged that a small number “may be on the terror watch list.”
“There is no information to suggest that the remaining individuals pose an imminent threat to their homeland,” the official said.
Amid heightened fears after ISIS arrests, ICE warns about what migrants can’t bring to border
Migrants line up at the southern border in San Diego on June 6, 2024. (Fox News)
Officials said most of the 400 were not considered “persons of concern,” but only a small number were. The network was identified because one of the organizers was determined to have ties to an Islamic extremist group, and as a precautionary measure they wanted to identify, arrest and test everyone associated with the network.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stressed at a press conference in Arizona on Wednesday that it was “false” to say 400 migrants with possible ISIS ties had been brought to the US.
“We have not identified 400 individuals who may have ISIS ties, and I want to reassure you that any individuals identified as having such ties will be of concern to us from a public safety and security perspective and will be prioritised for detention and deportation,” he said. “Accuracy in dealing with the facts is crucial.”
For network details, NBC NewsThe latest revelations come just weeks after eight Tajik nationals with ties to ISIS were arrested by federal authorities in New York, Los Angeles and Philadelphia. All eight had entered the country illegally through the southern border but had no adverse information reported during the process.
DHS believes this is not an ISIS terror operation, but rather a network exploiting migrants seeking entry into the U.S. However, their countries of origin pose heightened security risks, and border patrol officers have been instructed to detain and conduct additional screening on individuals from certain countries and those associated with the network.
NBC reported that the Department of Homeland Security is closely monitoring migrants from Central Asia following recent terror attacks in Russia attributed to ISIS and its offshoots that have raised concerns.
While officials say migrants undergo full background checks before being released into the US, they have previously acknowledged that background checks are difficult because migrants often show up with no information. Patrick Reckleitner, acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), recently said that during background checks, “we sometimes don’t have any information about an individual at all.”
“It’s common that they have nothing, they have nothing. These individuals have no criminal history, no information that poses a threat. Or, these individuals are from areas of particular concern, but sometimes that surfaces later when we get information,” he said.
Authorities arrest eight suspected ISIS-linked terrorists in multi-city sting operations
FBI Director Christopher Wray, speaking with a Senate subcommittee, warned of growing concerns about coordinated attacks on the U.S. mainland similar to the ISIS-K attack in Russia in March. (Fox News)
This is also in the context of broader concerns about the terrorist threat facing the U.S. In a letter sent Tuesday by the Special Operations Association of America (SOAA), which represents thousands of Army Rangers, Green Berets, Navy SEALs and other current and former elite special forces, it warned that its members have “serious concerns” about terrorist threats to the U.S. and Americans overseas.
“The complete withdrawal from Afghanistan without effective presence or over-the-horizon counterterrorism and intelligence capabilities to deter the threat has created a vacuum in the region that is allowing anti-American terrorist organizations, such as al-Qaida and the Islamic State, to once again thrive,” the letter said.
Poor intelligence gathering in the region puts the US “at risk.”
The growing terror threat is due to an “unsecured southern border,” the letter said, adding: “It is unclear how many other terrorists are currently inside the United States.”
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The letter by former national security officials is the latest salvo of warnings about the terrorist threat.
“There’s a lack of urgency here,” former acting CIA director Michael Morell said Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “The American people need to understand what the threat is.”
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Republicans were quick to react to the revelations about the smuggling network, blaming the Biden administration and its policies at the southern border.
“I’m a proud former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot who fought against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Now the Biden administration has opened our borders to allow terrorists to smuggle illegal immigrants into the United States,” Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas), chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, told Fox News Digital. “I call for immediate action from the administration and will work with my colleagues to close this security gap. Our nation’s security must always be our number one priority.”
Fox News’ Lucas Tomlinson and Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
