Federal officials have sounded the alarm on the potential infiltration of members belonging to Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), and Hezbollah through the southern border, as highlighted in an internal memo dated Oct. 20, exclusively obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The recent conflict between Israel and Hamas, which escalated with terror attacks on civilians on October 7, has the federal authorities on high alert.
The San Diego Field Office Intelligence Division of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sent the memo warning about potential encounters with members linked to terrorist organizations in the US Southern border.
“San Diego Field Office Intelligence Unit assesses that individuals inspired by, or reacting to the current Israel-Hamas conflict may attempt travel to or from the area of hostilities in the Middle East via circuitous transit across the Southwest border,” the memo reads.
“Foreign fighters motivated by ideology or mercenary soldiers of fortune may attempt to obfuscate travel to or from the US to or from countries in the Middle East through Mexico,” the memo adds.
This new development comes after Rep. Jamaal Bowman and other leftists are already calling on the United States to take in Palestinian refugees from Gaza.
FBI Director Chris Wray issued a dire warning about the rise of violent extremism.
“Before I get into some of the specific ways we’re doing that work together, I want to take a moment to offer my heartfelt condolences to the people of Israel, and share the outrage that I know we all feel at the sheer brutality and disregard for innocent lives there,” said Wray.
“History has been witness to antisemitic and other forms of violent extremism for far too long. Whether that be from foreign terrorist organizations, or those inspired by them, or domestic violent extremists motivated by their own racial animus, the targeting of a community because of their faith is totally unacceptable,” he added.
Wray indicated that there has been a significant uptick in reported threats following the attacks, cautioning the public to remain vigilant for “lone actors.”
“In this heightened environment, there’s no question we’re seeing an increase in reported threats, and we’ve got to be on the lookout, especially for lone actors who may take inspiration from recent events to commit violence of their own.
As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, September now holds the record for most encounters with illegal aliens at an alarming 269,735. Then total up the fiscal year for 2023 and the number is at 2.47 million encounters with illegals! That is the highest for any year on record. These statistics are from Customs and Border Protection.
TGP reported that US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) reported that four Iranians were apprehended at the open US southern border in the last month.
The Iranians were considered “special interest aliens.”
READ:
BREAKING: CBP sources confirm a single adult male from Iran apprehended in the early morning hours in Eagle Pass TX Sunday. This after 2 single adult males from Lebanon and 1 Egyptian male were apprehended on Thurs – all SIAs (Special Interest Aliens) to undergo vetting @FoxNews
— Griff Jenkins (@GriffJenkins) October 15, 2023
In the fiscal year 2023, 736 known or suspected terrorists (KST) were apprehended at the U.S. border as of September 15, a month before the terror attack. 66% of those apprehended were allegedly at the northern border.
In fiscal year 2023, Border Patrol apprehended:
- 151 migrants with positive terrorism watchlist matches who entered the U.S. illegally along the southern border
- 216 people, including U.S. citizens, on the terrorist watchlist who had been stopped at the southern border
More from to The Center Square:
U.S. Customs and Border Protection published new data this weekend revealing that federal agents apprehended an additional 77 in the last two weeks of September.
The total of 736 is the greatest number of KSTs apprehended in recorded U.S. history.
A significant majority – 66% – were apprehended at the northern border, 487. By comparison, 249 were apprehended at the southwest border.
Former President Trump has long been a vocal advocate for stricter measures to safeguard the nation’s frontiers. Over the years, he tirelessly championed the cause, underscoring the paramount importance of securing the borders to ensure the safety and security of American citizens. However, his earnest appeals often met with ridicule and dismissiveness from the far-left, who labeled his stance as xenophobic or racially motivated.