By Michael Capuano Researcher/Staff Writer
Last week, reports surfaced that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is now aware of, and alarmed about. An ISIS-affiliated smuggling ring has brought over 400 illegal aliens into the U.S., mainly from Central Asia. Border officials apprehended many of the Central Asian migrants, but then, pursuant to current policies, released them because they did not appear on the government’s terrorism watch list. DHS is now rushing to find and take custody of these illegal aliens. The whereabouts of over 50 aliens remain completely unknown while approximately 150 have been arrested.
This debacle comes at a time when the danger of ISIS-K, an offshoot of ISIS based in Central Asia, is higher than ever. In March, ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the Crocus City Hall attack that killed over 130 people in Moscow in March. Just a few weeks ago, U.S. officials arrested eight Tajik nationals after they were found to be extremists linked to ISIS-K. The Tajiks were brought by the same ISIS-K affiliated smuggling ring responsible for helping the hundreds of other Central Asian migrants enter the U.S., and like the others, the Tajiks were “vetted” by border officials and released into the U.S.
The national security risk resulting from our open borders is becoming more apparent every day. The Biden Administration has deliberately adopted the reckless policy of hunting down high-risk migrants after the fact instead of keeping them out in the first place. Meanwhile, state sponsors of terrorism such as Iran have explicitly threatened the U.S., and adversaries such as China and Russia are also exploiting open borders. In addition to the arrest of the 8 Tajiks, there have been other security incidents, such as illegal aliens being stopped from attempting to enter a military base in Virginia, or a Chechen national who was shot while behaving suspiciously near the home of a U.S. special forces commander. At our borders this year, over 315 aliens on the FBI’s terror watch list have already been apprehended. These all underline the consequences of open borders in general, especially the risk to national security.
Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas, however, did not show concern about the emerging threat from Central Asian migrants illegally crossing into the U.S. At a press conference near the southern border last week, he confidently stated, “We screen and vet individuals at the time of encounter. If we learn of derogatory information, we take enforcement action.” If the individual isn’t already on a watch list, DHS simply chooses not to engage in enforcement action and leaves the illegal alien to their own devices in the U.S.
The 400 individuals smuggled in by ISIS affiliates is no doubt alarming, but only a drop in the bucket. Under President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas, border policies have led to a virtual free-for-all, where illegal aliens from far-flung places can cross our borders illegally, be ushered in, granted a variety of benefits, and then essentially disappear from scrutiny. From Venezuelan gang members to emissaries of the Haitian crisis, open borders invite a world of hurt on American citizens. In order to protect our country, security has to be the first consideration rather than an inconvenient afterthought.
https://www.fairus.org/news/executive/over-400-illegal-migrants-brought-us-isis-linked-smuggling-ring