FBI director Kash Patel The southern border has been heavily protected and the threat shifted to a larger and protected northern border, which could allow terrorists to infiltrate, told Congress Wednesday.
“The enemy has adapted.” Patel Tell the House Judiciary Committee. “We need to pay more attention to the northern borders to stop known or suspected terrorists from such China,,,,, RussiaMiddle East, Africa, Afghanistan. ”
His comments come after years of attention to the southern border and a growing number of suspects of terrorism – those names appear in FBI Terrorist screening data sets, commonly known as terrorist watch lists.
gentlemen. Patel The northern border is even more disturbing because of its “expansive” geographical location and the ability of opponents to adapt.
“We have had almost zero in the southern border since the southern border was sealed,” he said. “The problem we have was our northern border.”
In fact, these numbers show action on both boundaries.
From May to July, the Border Patrol arrested 37 people on the terrorism watch list, according to the latest released data from Customs and Border Protection Agency. This is a significant increase compared to the tax rates at the end of the Biden administration and the beginning of President Trump’s second term.
CBP officers equipped with formal border transit also saw a significant surge.
On the southern border, the numbers in the horror observation table range from less than 10 per month at the beginning of the year and exceeded 500 per month from May to July.
Experts say the change is due to the government’s decision to add major Mexican cartels to the list of foreign terrorist organizations.
Especially on the southern border, agents and officers are promoting those who would have crossed the watch list earlier.
They are mostly Mexicans.
gentlemen. Patel Panel Chairman Charles E. Grassley appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, with the Biden administration planning to welcome potential terrorism suspects.
He pointed to the Afghan air transport, when the United States withdrew its troops, bringing thousands out of Kabul from Kabul and allowing the Taliban to regain control.
Mr Grasley said U.S. intelligence officers told him it identified 1,600 people with “derogatory” information from U.S. authorities, including some possible terrorist suspects.
gentlemen. Patel Promise the data to be reviewed.
In his testimony, he emphasized Russia,,,,, China and Iran as the main focus FBI Counterintelligence operations.
He said the bureau’s counterintelligence investigations into each country have increased significantly.
