Mayorkas dodges the Republican senator’s question about whether the border crisis presents a terrorist threat

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas could not give a clear answer on whether the increase in illegal immigration poses a terrorism threat during a Senate hearing on Wednesday.

Senator John Hoeven, Republican of North Dakota, pressed Mayorkas about his concerns about potential security issues associated with the border crisis that could lead to a terrorist attack in the US, during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on the sol. additional funding request from DHS to Congress. Mayorkas said there have been 6 million encounters of illegal migrants at the southern border since President Joe Biden took office, but dodged Hoeven’s questions about terrorist threats.

With illegal immigration on the rise, the Border Patrol has made an increasing number of arrests of people crossing the southern border illegally whose names appear on the terrorism watch list.

The Border Patrol apprehended 169 individuals whose names appeared on the watch list in fiscal year 2023, up from 98 in fiscal year 2022, 15 in fiscal year 2021, three in fiscal year 2020, and zero in fiscal year 2019. seconds to federal data.

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“Do you think millions of people crossing our border illegally create a risk of a terrorist attack on our country?” Hoeven asked.

“Senator, I believe that the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security do an extraordinary job of ensuring the safety and security of the American people,” Mayorkas said.

The Border Patrol recently received a notice to watch for terrorists from Hamas, Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad crossing the US-Mexico border, according to a copy of the internal memo exclusively. obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“That’s not what I asked for. I said, you think the millions of people who cross our border illegally every year, two and a half million last year, create the risk of a terrorist, with happening in the world, people from over 100 different countries crossing here? illegally, you don’t even know how many are still here, you came here today without this information. do you think this creates a risk of terrorist attack in our country Hoeven asked.

Mayorkas then accused the senator of misinterpreting his testimony. “Yes or no, do you think this poses a risk? Millions of people come here…they are here illegally, we are not even talking about the fugitives, how many fugitives in our country here illegally? Does this create the risk of a terrorist attack in our country? Simple question,” Hoeven asked.

“Let me assure you, senator, that the safety and security of the American people is the highest priority of the Department of Homeland Security,” Mayorkas said.

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