Exclusive: Law enforcement in Texas arrested an illegal Iranian immigrant at the southern border last week. The name and date of birth were initially flagged as a match on the FBI’s terrorist watch list, but DHS officials told Fox his news it was ultimately determined not to be a match. increase. Database after further scrutiny.
The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) last week arrested 29-year-old Alireza Heydari after a traffic stop involving human smugglers at the border in Valverde County, Texas, as part of Operation Lone Star.
Heydari had been smuggled into a car along with four other illegal immigrants. he was in the trunk. Fox reportedly said Heydari was turned over to Border Patrol, and he was later found to be a match on the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB).
Fox contacted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Thursday, and has contacted them numerous times since. DHS referred Fox to the FBI, which declined to comment. According to the FBI website, the status of those on the watch list has not been confirmed.
But on Wednesday, an official with the Department of Homeland Security told Fox News that after further scrutiny, they determined that Mr. Hydari was not a match for the TSDB.
Border Patrol Detained 17 People on FBI Terror Watch List at Southern Border in December
January 23, 2022: Authorities stop human smugglers in Valverde County, Texas.
The FBI’s TSDB contains information about the identities of persons “reasonably suspected” of being involved in terrorist or related activities. His 17 names were on the list who were stopped by Border Patrol in December alone. This brings the total number of individuals arrested at the southern border between ports of entry to 38 since October.
There were 98 terrorist watch list arrests in FY 2022, 15 in FY 2021, and just 3 at the southern border between ports of entry in FY 2020.
Meanwhile, at the ports of entry on the north and south borders, CBP’s field operations offices have encountered 125 people at TSDB so far this year. In 2022 he had 380, in 2021 he had 157 and in 2020 he had 196.
Nearly 300,000 illegal immigrants slipped through border guards in less than four months: source
Growing unrest between ports of entry has stoked fears that illegal criminals and terrorists may be slipping by overwhelmed Border Patrol agents amid a historic surge in illegal immigration across the southern border. It’s causing
Nearly 300,000 illegal immigrants have evaded border guards so far this year, averaging 2,450 a day over the past 120 days, sources told Fox News last week.
In fiscal year 2022, there were nearly 600,000 escapes. The number of fugitives at the border in fiscal year 2021 was 389,155, and fiscal year 2023 is on pace to easily surpass these numbers. Last week, the agent told Fox News: 1.2 million getaways During the Biden administration.
January 23, 2022: An illegal immigrant is caught in the back seat of a car at the border.
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Tom Homan, former deputy director of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), told Fox News on Saturday that the numbers should “scare all Americans” and warned that these immigrants would be sent to Border Patrol. Said he had reasons for not appearing. Will be processed and released to the U.S.
“Why don’t they use this program? Because they don’t want to be fingerprinted. There’s a reason for that.”
Fox News’ Griff Jenkins contributed to this report.
