House Republicans push Biden admin for information on migrants on terrorist database
The Republicans say that encounters with migrants on the watchlist may be increasing
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FIRST ON FOX: Republicans on the House Oversight and Homeland Security committees are pushing the Biden administration for information on the number of migrants encountered at the southern border who are on the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB).
Reps. James Comer and John Katko, who serve as ranking members on the Oversight and Homeland Security committees respectively, wrote to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas requesting details on the apprehension of foreign nations with potential terror concerns.
HOUSE HOMELAND REPUBLICANS PUSH DHS ON WHY NUMBER OF MIGRANTS ON TERROR DATABASE IS NOT PUBLIC
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It is no secret that terrorists and other bad actors attempt to exploit weakness in border security and vetting to enter the United States," the letter, first obtained by Fox News Digital, says.
"Reporting indicates that multiple individuals with terrorist ties have been recently apprehended after illegally crossing the border, and that such encounters may be increasing," they write. "The American people deserve to know whether President Biden’s weak border policies are allowing terrorists to enter our homeland."
The Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB) contains information about the identities of those who are "known or reasonably suspected" of being involved in terrorist activities. Republicans lawmakers have repeatedly called for the number of those encountered at the border to be made public,
The continued surge of migrants at the border has led to fears that the number of migrants with information on the TSDB could increase as bad actors seek to exploit the crisis.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Former Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott has repeatedly sounded the alarm over the number of TSDBs coming across the border, telling fellow agents that it was "at a level we have never seen before. "
June 10, 2021: A pair of migrant families from Brazil pass through a gap in the border wall to reach the United States after crossing from Mexico to Yuma, Ariz., to seek asylum. ((AP Photo/Eugene Garcia, File))
"We have terrorist threats we can’t get into in this type of a forum but they are real," he told Fox News’ Bret Baier in October.
HOUSE REPUBLICANS URGE DHS TO REVEAL HOW MANY MIGRANTS ARE ON TERROR WATCHLIST
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Comer and Katko slammed attempts by the administration to keep it marked "law enforcement sensitive" -- an assessment they have strongly disputed.
"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," they write.
They request documents showing the number of TSDB-linked migrants in each Fiscal Year from 2016 to present, as well as information about their countries of origin.
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Finally, they request documents showing the status of deportation proceedings initiated against those same migrants, as well as data estimating the number of "gotaways" -- migrants who crossed the border but evaded Border Patrol.