Record illegal border crossing numbers have highlighted a major threat to America’s national security. In just the first two months of the new fiscal year, border patrol officials have already apprehended 31 individuals who are on the terror watchlist.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection explains that the watchlist began to “house information on known or suspected terrorists (KSTs) but has evolved over the last decade to include additional individuals who represent a potential threat to the United States, including known affiliates of watchlisted individuals.”
While officials emphasized that encounters of individuals on the watchlist are “very uncommon,” they have been increasing significantly in recent years.
A chart on the CBP website details the tallies for each year. In Fiscal Year 2017, there were two encounters, in FY 2018 officials apprehended six individuals, while three were caught in each FY 2019 and FY 2020. The number then jumped to 16 in FY 2021, to 98 in FY 2022, and border patrol encountered 172 in FY 2023.
“TSDS watchlisted non-citizens encountered by the CBP Office of Field Operations at land ports of entry prior to entry into the United States may be denied admission to our country upon presentation, barring justification for their arrest under CBP policy,” CBP’s website explains. “TSDS watchlisted individuals encountered by the U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) after entering the country without inspection may be detained and removed, to the extent possible under CBP policy, or turned over to another government agency for subsequent detention or law enforcement action, as appropriate.”
The statement added, "DHS works tirelessly to secure our borders through a combination of highly trained personnel, ground and aerial monitoring systems, and robust intelligence and information sharing networks."
The data come as federal authorities have warned about the threat from Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah crossing the southern border illegally in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
"[I]ndividuals inspired by, or reacting to, the current Israel-Hamas conflict may attempt travel to or from the area of hostilities in the Middle east via circuitous transit across the Southwest border,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials in San Diego warned in an internal memo in late October.
Earlier this month, Democratic lawmakers on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee released a report highlighting what they view are the terror watchlist’s flaws.
"A watchlist that is not properly maintained, coupled with unnecessarily duplicative screening practices that are not frequently assessed for their effectiveness is a risk to our national security. It may not reflect the latest threats, it could overextend limited security resources that should be focused on the best ways to protect Americans, and it breaks the trust with innocent Americans who get caught up in this net with no way out," the 43-page report said.
"As the size of the watchlist and screening enterprise grows, so does the chance of misidentification, the need for additional resources, and the risk that existing limited resources may be spent on low risks, overlooking real threats," the report added.
The watchlist has ballooned to include about 2 million names, according to CBS.