Chairs Comer, Jordan, Green Demand Information from DHS on Risk Posed by Aliens with Terrorist Ties Crossing the Border

Press Release

"According to DHS data, the number of aliens with derogatory information in the TSDB has risen rapidly in recent years. So far in Fiscal Year 2023, U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) has already encountered 96 individuals with derogatory information in the TSDB, in addition to the 98 individuals encountered in Fiscal Year 2022, and 15 encountered in Fiscal Year 2021. These figures compare to only three such aliens apprehended in Fiscal Year 2020, 0 in Fiscal Year 2019, 6 in Fiscal Year 2018, and 2 in Fiscal Year 2017. At the same time, over 1.5 million illegal alien "gotaways' have successfully crossed the border undetected during the Biden-Harris Administration. These "known gotaways' do not provide biometric or biographic information to USBP agents and continue their journey into the interior of the country without background checks against law enforcement databases. Terrorists and other bad actors will attempt to exploit weaknesses in border security and vetting procedures to infiltrate the United States. We fear these known gotaways could also include illegal aliens with terrorist ties.

DHS has previously indicated in congressional correspondence that illegal aliens "with terrorism related records who are encountered at the border, after entering the country without inspection, are detained and removed.' However, public facing information on a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) website now states that "[Terrorist Screening Data Set] watchlisted individuals encountered by [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'. It is unclear the extent to which actual legal impediments exist to prevent detention and removal of aliens with terrorist ties, as opposed to impediments imposed by the Biden Administration's misguided policies."

Source