Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., on Thursday called on the Justice Department to investigate whether immigrants from Muslim-majority countries are being prosecuted when crossing the southern Texas border.
In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz, Mr. Durbin cited the “increase in Islamophobic attacks” and potential threats against individuals in Muslim-majority countries. He called on authorities to respond quickly to questions about discrimination.
The Senate Judiciary Committee Chairperson, in an 18-month Los Angeles Times prosecution investigation beginning in October 2021, identified individuals charged under a provision of the U.S. Code that makes it a crime to fail to appear at a designated U.S. border crossing point. It pointed out that more than 60% of the cases were prosecuted. Many participants were from Muslim-majority countries. Los Angeles Times He cited Afghanistan, Syria, Iran and Mali as some of the countries of origin of the indicted persons.
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Sen. Dick Durbin called on the Justice Department to investigate whether people from Muslim-majority countries who illegally cross the southern border face discrimination in prosecution. (Getty Images)
“These trends are very worrying,” Durbin argued. “Prosecutions that target individuals on the basis of religion, national origin, or other protected characteristics are anathema to the rule of law.”
Regarding the increased use of specific provisions of the Customs Act that Durbin argued in his letter, Laura Reese, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center, told FOX News Digital: It’s not often used for charging, but so what? ”
“If people are crossing illegally, what’s wrong and tragic? I mean, Congress passed this law, so why can’t prosecutors use it to prosecute people who cross illegally? ?” she asked.
Both Iran and Syria are designated state sponsors of terrorism by the State Department. The State Department’s 2022 Country Report on Terrorism outlines these transnational threats. The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) “maintains a persistent global enterprise, pursuing large-scale terrorist operations across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia,” the magazine wrote at the time.
The State Department also identified threats in Afghanistan following the 2021 U.S. withdrawal, including attacks on civilians by ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K) that many consider to have been illegitimate.
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Islamic State of Iraq fighters in the city of Mosul on June 23, 2014. (Reuters)
“Concerns that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is targeting prosecution of immigrants from Muslim-majority countries by exploiting failure to report the law are heightened,” Durbin said.
“I am writing to express grave concern over reports that asylum seekers from Muslim-majority countries are being unfairly prosecuted by the Department of Justice for unlawful entry.” He also noted that prosecutions under the law are increasing “nationwide.”
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On March 21, 2024, a group of over 100 immigrants attempt to cross the border into the United States illegally. (James Breeden, New York Post/Mega)
Durbin’s letter to Horowitz also asks the inspector general to “investigate whether the Department of Justice targets or has targeted immigrants for prosecution based on religion, national origin, or other protected characteristics.” I asked.
The Department of Justice declined to comment when contacted by Fox News Digital.
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This comes after FBI Director Christopher Wray recently warned Congress about the growing threat of terrorism, particularly related to vulnerabilities at the southern border.
FBI Director nominee Christopher Wray testifies during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on July 12, 2017 at the U.S. Capitol. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Asked last year about the threat of international terrorism, Mr. Wray told Sen. Lindsey Graham (RS.C.), Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee: ” and emphasized “their ability to exploit every port of entry, including our nation’s southwest border.”
“Over the past five years, we have seen an increase in the number of so-called KSTs, ‘known or suspected terrorists’, attempting to cross the border,” he said at the time.
Reacting to the letter, Mr. Rees claimed that Mr. Durbin was “trying to say this about Islamophobia, but the cartels have changed the intersection.” [and] She noted that Mr. Durbin did not ask Customs and Border Protection for information related to “the composition of aliens crossing West Texas at or during that time.”
He also said Durbin sought to take up cases of imprisoned Afghans without considering the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Afghanistan Parole Program, which is already in place to assist individuals seeking entry into the United States. questioned his choice.
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Mr. Durbin’s office did not comment on Mr. Reese’s questions by the time of publication.
