While many critics of the Biden administration’s lax border policies frequently cite a drain on U.S. resources, a threat to the job market for American citizens, and the unchecked flow of drugs into the country as reasons for their opposition, there is mounting evidence of another, potentially more imminently dangerous threat: terrorism.
A video clip recently gained traction on social media due to its depiction of a man, apparently of Middle Eastern descent, who reportedly arrived illegally at the U.S. border spouting what many interpreted to be threats.
12 miles east of Sasabe, Arizona, this man walked into our country.
He said this to a journalist who asked him who he was,
"If you are smart enough, you will know who I am, But you are really not smart enough to know who I am, But soon, you’re gonna know who I am.”
These are… pic.twitter.com/lcCoICx7rV
— Kari Lake (@KariLake) January 23, 2024
Days later, reports surfaced about an unnamed individual who was initially released upon crossing into the U.S. from Mexico in March and remained free until he was arrested in Minnesota earlier this month. Just two days earlier, according to a memo obtained by the Daily Caller, authorities realized he was affiliated with the terrorist organization al-Shabaab, which is based in Somalia.
The memo indicated that the Terrorist Screening Center “made a redetermination” on Jan. 18 that the individual initially cleared for release at the southern border had a record of involvement with the terrorist group that included manufacturing or transporting explosives or firearms.
Even as the Biden administration has attempted to portray the border crisis as somehow under control, agents encountered at least 172 individuals on the terror watchlist during the 2023 fiscal year alone. As the case involving this al-Shabaab member demonstrates, there is an unknown number of additional individuals who pose a terror threat who either evade capture or are simply released due to government incompetence.
As former Immigration and Customs Enforcement field director John Fabbricatore opined: “Many within the Biden administration, including [Homeland Security] Secretary [Alejandro] Mayorkas, have repeatedly assured us that the vetting process at the border is comprehensive and complete. 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.”
It is worth noting that the details of this case surfaced on the heels of controversial remarks by Somali-American U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), who was elected to represent the interests of the state where the suspected terrorist was arrested but instead pledged her allegiance to the nation where hal-Shabaab is based.
According to an English translation of the remarks, the accuracy of which Omar has since disputed, she identified as “Somalian first, Muslim second,” and asserted that she was “here to protect the interests of Somalia from inside the U.S. system.”
