FIRST ON FOX: House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan is investigating the circumstances surrounding two Jordanian nationals who breached a military base in Virginia after they were both revealed to be illegal immigrants.
Jordan has written to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas about the May 3 incident when, officials say, the two nationals in a box truck were stopped at a gate. The driver allegedly told military police officers they were making a delivery to the post office and worked for a company subcontracted by Amazon.
“It was at that time, one of the military police officers noticed the driver, ignoring the direct instructions of the officers, continued to move the vehicle past the holding area and attempted to access Marine Corps Base Quantico,” spokesperson Capt. Michael Curtis said in a statement.
ICE CONFIRMS JORDANIANS WHO ATTEMPTED TO BREACH MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO WERE BOTH IN US ILLEGALLY
ICE agents conduct an enforcement operation in the U.S. interior June 2, 2022. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
Officials later turned them over to ICE after their arrest for trespassing. ICE officials said this week that one of the nationals crossed into the U.S. illegally in April in California before being released on his own recognizance. The other was a foreign student who entered the U.S. in September 2022 and whose visa status was terminated in January.
ICE said it has no information suggesting either Jordanian was affiliated with any organization that would pose a threat to public safety or national security.
Likewise, sources with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Fox News neither man has a criminal record in the U.S., and the FBI would not say if the suspects were on a terrorist watchlist.
But the incident has raised concerns among Republicans. Both Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee have sent letters to DHS calling for more information.
Now, Jordan wants to get to the bottom of the matter.
The main gate of the U.S. Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Va., March 22, 2013. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
ICE DECLINES TO REVEAL NAMES OF JORDANIANS NABBED FOR MARINE BASE BREACH; FORMER OFFICIALS WEIGH IN
“Criminal aliens exploit vulnerabilities in our nation’s immigration system to the detriment of those in the United States,” the letter states. “The Biden Administration’s border and immigration policies only increase the likelihood that criminal aliens will successfully enter and remain in the U.S. Pursuant to the Rules of the House of Representatives, the Committee on the Judiciary is authorized to conduct oversight of federal immigration policy and procedures.”
The committee is requesting case history information, including their immigration histories, benefits applications and alien files, detention status and history and information regarding processing and entry into the U.S.
BIDEN BORDER CHIEF MUST ANSWER AFTER JORDANIAN NATIONALS NEARLY BREACH QUANTICO: SENATORS
They asked for the information by June 7.
Meanwhile, in the Senate Judiciary Committee, ranking member Lindsey Graham sent a similar letter to Mayorkas.
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On Thursday, a DHS spokesperson told Fox regarding the congressional probes, “DHS responds to congressional correspondence directly via official channels, and the Department will continue to respond appropriately to congressional oversight.”
Fox News’ Greg Wehner and Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
