A terrorist who entered the United States illegally through the southern border roamed free in the U.S. for nearly a year before being arrested in Minnesota this month.
According to an internal memo obtained by the Daily Caller, the unnamed individual who is a part of the Somali terror group al-Shabaab, was caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border San Ysidro, California on March 13, 2023. At the time, the Terrorist Screening Center reportedly deemed the individual to be a “mismatch” after running his name through the system.
However, on Jan. 18, the Terrorist Screening Center reportedly “made a redetermination” that the individual was “a confirmed member of al-Shabaab.” The individual was involved in the use, manufacture, and transport of explosives or firearms. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested the illegal immigrant in Minneapolis, Minnesota two days later.
A terrorist from the Somali terror group al-Shabaab, illegally crossed our border in California in March 2023. He was released shortly after.
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 29, 2024
He was arrested this month in Minnesota.
A terrorist was freely roaming our country for almost a year before being caught‼️
Our border… pic.twitter.com/wS8XwPEBJF
“Many within the Biden administration, including Secretary Mayorkas, have repeatedly assured us that the vetting process at the border is comprehensive and complete,” John Fabbricatore, a retired ICE field director who now sits on the National Immigration Center for Enforcement’s (NICE) board, told the DCNF. “However, we continue to witness alarming instances where terrorists are able to freely roam the United States for months after being released at the border before their criminal and terrorist histories come to light.”
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Reportedly, Border Patrol agents nabbed 50 illegal immigrants on the terror watchlist between October and December of last year.
“The overburdening of the Border Patrol with the excessive amounts of illegal border crossers has forced faster processing times, which doesn’t allow for a more vigorous initial investigation into a migrant's background. The background checks currently being run only initially search out criminal history in the United States, not outside its borders. It could take days, weeks, or months to connect derogatory information coming from other databases,” Fabbricatore explained to the outlet.
At the end of last year, Townhall reported how an Iranian national with ties to terrorism had been deported after entering the U.S. through its northern border.
The individual — who is also a "permanent resident of Canada" according to ICE and is "wanted by Canadian authorities in assault charges" — reportedly tried getting into the United States on October 10 via the Rainbow Bridge Pedestrian Walkway near Niagara Falls. Border agents on the U.S. side turned him away to Canada's Border Services Agency (CBSA) instead of granting him entry. The Iranian national then tried again to enter the U.S. just two days later on October 12, this time via a different port of entry in Niagara Falls.
After nearly a month in custody, the Buffalo ERO team "served the unlawfully present man with an expedited removal order" on November 8, and — despite being expedited — it took until December 21 for border agents to remove the individual to Canada under the Safe Third Country Agreement where he was turned over to Canadian border officials.
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