According to a Department of Homeland Security report reviewed by Breitbart Texas, in the first six months of the 2024 fiscal year, which began in October, about 2.5 million immigrants entered the United States from special interest countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. It is said that 5,000 people were arrested. . Most of the migrants, including single adult men, from countries subject to U.S. State Department travel warnings due to terrorism were released into the U.S. to pursue asylum claims, CBP officials said.
The official, who is not authorized to speak to the media, told Breitbart Texas that the number of special interest immigrants shows no signs of slowing down, increasing by more than 6 percent compared to the total number encountered in the first six months of fiscal year 2023. He said he is doing so. As Breitbart Texas reported, more than 61,000 special interest immigrants were arrested in all of 2023.
Turkish nationals make up the largest number of special interest immigrants, with nearly 7,000 arrested since October. The alarming increase starting in 2023 includes immigrants from the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, according to a report reviewed by Breitbart Texas. More than 4,300 countrymen have been arrested since October. The number of Mauritanians crossing the southwestern border has increased by more than 65 percent compared to the same period last year.
The northwestern African nation continues to work to address ongoing slavery and its vestiges, according to the CIA World Factbook. Although officially abolished in 1981, slavery was not criminalized in Mauritania until 2007. According to the United Nations, as of 2022, the practice of slavery still exists among most ethnic groups in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania. report.
In July 2023, the State Department issued a travel warning for the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, citing crime and terrorism as key concerns discouraging U.S. citizens from traveling to Mauritania.
The report reviewed by Breitbart Texas also reflects a significant increase in immigration from several Middle Eastern countries that the Federal Bureau of Investigation has identified as countries of special interest. Countries in this region include Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Pakistan, Syria, Iran, and Lebanon. Anxiety among Jordanian and Moroccan citizens increased by more than 1,000 percent compared to the same period in 2022. Encounters of Egyptian nationals at the southern border increased by more than 400 percent.
according to 2019 DHS Fact SheetThe term “special interest alien” is defined as follows:
Generally, SIA refers to persons outside the United States who, based on an analysis of their travel patterns, may pose a national security risk to the United States or its national interests. In many cases, such individuals or groups have adopted travel patterns that are known or assessed to be potentially associated with terrorism. DHS’ analysis includes examining travel patterns, origins, and/or travel segments related to the current assessment of the domestic and international threat environment.
This does not mean that all SIAs are “terrorists”; rather, the travel and actions of such individuals indicate a possible association with heinous activities (including terrorism); At the very least, it provides an indicator that requires enhanced testing and further investigation. The term SIA does not refer to any specific derogatory information about an individual. Additionally, DHS has never indicated that the SIA designation has any further meaning.
Even if immigrants from special interest countries are not involved in terrorism, everyone should be wary of the danger posed by a small number of immigrants with malicious intent, sources say. “When you are arresting thousands of people every day, it is difficult to thoroughly interview and investigate each person, even those from special interest countries,” the source said. To tell.
In early March, a Lebanese immigrant arrested near El Paso, Texas, reportedly claimed to be a Hezbollah terrorist. The Lebanese, considered a special interest immigrant, claimed to be headed to New York and told the Border Patrol agents who arrested him that he wanted to build a bomb.
Sources said Basel Bassel Ebadi, a 22-year-old Lebanese immigrant, was more aggressive than others. “This is an unusual thing that doesn’t happen often, and his statement was probably more out of anger and frustration than actually letting us know what his plans were,” the source said. added the person. Basel Bassel Ebadi is just one of 50 other Lebanese nationals encountered by border guards since October, sources said.
randy clark He is a 32-year veteran of the U.S. Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as Division Chief of Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol stations within the Del Rio, Texas area. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.
