Federal law enforcement has arrested a suspected terrorist from South Africa after Border Patrol released him into the country following his recent illegal entry from Mexico.
Border Patrol disclosed Tuesday afternoon that police had rearrested an unnamed man in the New York borough of Brooklyn after it had allowed him to remain in the United States following his illegal entry into Texas.
“BREAKING: A multi-agency effort led to the arrest of a South African national and suspected terrorist in Brooklyn, NY. Initially detained in Texas for criminal trespassing and based on information available at the time, the individual was released,” Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens wrote in a Tuesday afternoon X post.
“A further subsequent investigation revealed a positive match on the terrorist watchlist, prompting swift action by USBP agents and personnel at the National Targeting Center,” Owens wrote in the post. “Thanks to the coordination of multiple agencies, this potential threat was located, taken into custody, and is now pending removal.”
BREAKING
A multi-agency effort led to the arrest of a South African national and suspected terrorist in Brooklyn, NY. Initially detained in Texas for criminal trespassing and based on information available at the time, the individual was released. A further subsequent… pic.twitter.com/QFMfGCUN14— Chief Jason Owens (@USBPChief) December 17, 2024
The number of known or suspected terrorists — people on the FBI terrorist watch list — caught attempting to enter the U.S. from Mexico between ports of entry has skyrocketed under the Biden administration, according to federal data.
In the years leading up to Biden, terrorist arrests remained in the single digits annually, including zero in 2019.
In fiscal 2024, which ended in September this year, 103 people on the terrorist watch list were apprehended by Border Patrol.
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The Biden administration has maintained that Border Patrol screens and vets those who come into custody, but in this case, a database check on the unnamed South African man was not received by Border Patrol until the individual was let out of custody and allowed to remain in the country through his immigration court date.
Owens did not disclose why the individual was released before the results of the FBI check were received.
