Customs and Border Protection (CBP) apprehended 19 Iranians and 17 Syrians in the Rio Grande Valley sector in Texas, in addition to two Lebanese men this week.
CBP also apprehended an Egyptian man in his 40s in Eagle Pass, Texas, as terrorism concerns in the United States ramps up.
NEW: FOX News has confirmed in addition to 2 Lebanese men, CBP apprehended an Egyptian man in his 40s in Eagle Pass yesterday…
— Griff Jenkins (@GriffJenkins) October 13, 2023
In the RGV Sector, since Monday, CBP officials there have apprehended 19 Iranians and 17 Syrians… all SIAs receiving extensive scrutiny @FoxNews
Despite President Joe Biden insisting that the border is closed, Border Patrol agents encounter thousands of "special interest aliens" amid terrorism concerns after Hamas continues to wage war on Israel.
According to Fox News Digital, special interest aliens "are people from countries identified by the U.S. government as having conditions that promote or protect terrorism or potentially pose some sort of national security threat to the U.S."
Lebanon sits on the same border as Israel, where the terrorist group Hezbollah presides. Much like Hamas, the group is funded by Iran and declared terrorists by the State Department.
Citing the Department of Homeland Security's threat assessment, Border Patrol agents have faced many encounters on the watch list, warning that "terrorists and criminal actors may exploit the elevated flow and increasingly complex security environment to enter the United States."
The assessment also notes, "Individuals with terrorism connections are interested in using established travel routes and permissive environments to facilitate access to the United States."
More from Fox News:
Thousands of special interest aliens have been arrested by agents while attempting to cross the U.S. southern border illegally over the last two years. That data, confirmed by multiple CBP sources and reflecting apprehensions between ports of entry between October 2021 and October 2023, showed that agents encountered 164 nationals from Lebanon. They also encountered 6,386 nationals from Afghanistan, 3,153 from Egypt, 659 from Iran, and 538 from Syria.
The 2023 fiscal year broke the record for having the most encounters on the FBI terror watch list, with 151 people apprehended at the border.
This comes as law enforcement nationwide is ramping up security measures as Hamas calls for a "Day of Rage" on Friday's "Day of Jihad." Major cities are expected to see large protests with the possibility of getting violent. Protests have already begun in the Middle East as crowds storm the streets in Lebanon, Yemen, and Iraq in support of Palestine.