Record Number On Terror Watchlist Intercepted At Southern Border
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s recently released data reveals a significant increase in terrorist suspects stopped at U.S. borders in fiscal year 2023, totaling 736 encounters. This is a substantial uptick compared to previous fiscal years: 199 in 2020, 173 in 2021, and 478 in 2022.
This year, 564 encounters occurred at land border ports of entry, and 172 happened between these ports. In the same period, Border Patrol agents arrested approximately two million individuals attempting to enter the U.S. unlawfully from Canada or Mexico. With 3.2 million non-U.S. citizens seeking illegal entry or parole into the country at different ports of entry, this year’s figure has surpassed the 1986 record of 1.692 million crossings.
Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner, Troy A. Miller, addressed the high rates of encounters at the southwest border. He stated, “We are continually engaging with domestic and foreign partners to address historic hemispheric migration, including large migrant groups traveling on freight trains, and to enforce consequences including by preparing for direct repatriations to Venezuela.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) admits that terrorists and criminal actors could exploit the elevated flow of people entering the U.S. The DHS’s annual Homeland Threat Assessment report mentions, “Terrorists and criminal actors may exploit the elevated flow and increasingly complex security environment to enter the United States.”
Federal law enforcement has indeed stopped a record 160 individuals listed on the terror watch list from entering the U.S. illegally. This figure shows a significant increase from the 98 potentially dangerous assailants stopped last year. The names on the watch list remain confidential to avoid diplomatic incidents, tipping off terrorists and cartels about U.S. border strategies, or inviting retaliation that could threaten national security.
The FBI’s terror watch list includes suspected terrorists and their affiliates, such as family members of known terrorists. Every individual arriving at the border undergoes thorough biometric and biographic screening and vetting, which can lead to flags when matched to the terror watch list. Customs and Border Protection has also expanded its information-sharing agreements with international partners to enhance its ability to prevent and investigate trafficking and other crimes.
While the numbers are unprecedented, Biden administration officials assure that encounters with known or suspected terrorists at the southern border are still uncommon, representing less than 0.01% of total meetings per fiscal year in recent years. The DHS states, “Encounters of watchlisted individuals at our borders are very uncommon, underscoring the critical work CBP Agents and Officers carry out every day on the frontlines.”
The data reveals that efforts to protect U.S. borders are more crucial than ever. The increasing number of encounters with individuals on the terror watch list is a testament to the diligence of underfunded U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents and their commitment to national security.
