More than 250 illegal immigrants on the terrorist watchlist were encountered by Border Patrol agents on the southwest border between the 2021 and 2023 fiscal years, and the Biden administration’s Department of Homeland Security released at least 99 into the country, a report by House Republicans released Monday said.
In addition, at least 34 others are in DHS custody but have not yet been removed from the United States. Those totals do not include the numbers of potential terrorists that evaded the Border Patrol to enter the U.S. as part of nearly 2 million “got-aways” since the beginning of the Biden administration.
The interim staff report, titled “Terror at Our Door: How the Biden-Harris Administration’s Open-Borders Policies Undermine National Security and Endanger Americans,” was released by the House Judiciary Committee and its Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement.
“The open-borders policies of President Joe Biden and border czar Vice President Kamala Harris have allowed millions of illegal aliens to enter the United States, including terrorist organizations and other bad actors looking to harm Americans,” the report stated. “In three-and-a-half years, the Biden-Harris administration has released more than 5.4 million illegal aliens into the United States, with an additional at least 1.9 million known ‘got-aways’ escaping into the country.
“Among those more than 7.3 million illegal aliens are 375 illegal aliens on the U.S. government’s terrorist watchlist who have been apprehended by Border Patrol under President Biden’s and Vice President Harris’ watch. That is a more than a 3,000% increase of watch-listed alien encounters compared to all four years of the Trump administration.”
During the 2024 fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, the report showed that the Border Patrol has encountered thousands of illegal immigrants nationwide from countries that could present national security risks, including 2,134 Afghan nationals, 33,347 Chinese nationals, 541 Iranian nationals, 520 Syrian nationals, and 3,104 Uzbek nationals.
The report said at least three illegal immigrants with potential ISIS ties were released into the U.S. after they used the administration’s CBP One app to arrive at a port of entry and be processed into the country. Meanwhile, one former senior Immigration and Customs Enforcement official admitted the Biden administration’s open-borders policies make it more difficult for ICE to arrest national security threats in the U.S.
“Although American communities already feel the disastrous effects of the Biden-Harris administration’s immigration policies, the worst could still be yet to come,” the report said. “With national security experts and immigration officials increasingly concerned about the threat of terrorism originating from the border, it is clear that policymakers must take all necessary steps to secure the border and stop the flow of illegal aliens.”
The report lamented the failure by the Biden administration and Senate Democrats to consider the Secure the Border Act, or HR 2, that the House passed by a 219-213 vote in May 2023 but has been buried in the Senate by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
“The Biden-Harris administration has refused to address the national security nightmare created by its radical, open-borders agenda,” the report said. “To secure the homeland and protect Americans, the Senate must pass, and President Biden must sign into law, HR 2.”
Newsmax reached out to the White House, the DHS, ICE and Customs and Border Protection for comment.