Reps. Katko, Comer express concerns regarding terrorist border apprehension

U.S. Reps. John Katko (R-NY) and James Comer (R-KY) expressed concerns to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding failure to disclose apprehension information for southern border terrorists.

“We write to conduct oversight over the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) apprehensions of foreign nationals with terrorist ties at the southern border and possible efforts within the Biden Administration to shield this information from the public,” Katko, ranking member of the House Committee on Homeland Security and Comer, ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, wrote in a letter to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. “It is no secret that terrorists and other bad actors attempt to exploit weaknesses in border security and vetting to enter the United States. Reporting indicates that multiple individuals with terrorist ties have been recently apprehended after illegally crossing the border and that such encounters may be increasing. The American people deserve to know whether President Biden’s weak border policies are allowing terrorists to enter our homeland.”

Last year, there were two million apprehensions involving illegal border crossers by Border Patrol. After illegally crossing the border, the individuals apprehended by DHS personnel are processed for biometric and biographic information – cross-referenced against various law enforcement databases that include the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB).

“Public reporting indicates that at least several potential terrorists were apprehended by Border Patrol personnel after illegally crossing the border last year,” the legislators said. “And it is likely that the numbers of terrorists apprehended is much higher than publicly known. The American people deserve to know this information and the realities of the security situation we face at our broken borders, especially where terrorists attempt to gain entry to our country.”