The Department of Homeland Security has reportedly identified more than 400 migrants who were smuggled into the United States from Central Asia and other places by an ISIS-affiliated human smuggling network. Over 50 more such migrants’ whereabouts are still unknown.
Three US officials told NBC News that more than 150 of the migrants have been arrested. US Customs Enforcement is now trying to arrest people involved on immigration charges.
“In this case, it was the information that suggested a potential tie to ISIS because of some of the individuals involved in [smuggling migrants to the border] that led us to want to take extra care,” said a senior Biden administration official, according to NBC News, “and out of an abundance of caution make sure that we exercised our authority in the most expansive and appropriate way to mitigate risk because of this potential connection being made.”
‘The fact that the whereabouts were unknown is clearly alarming’
The official confirmed that ICE started arresting these migrants many months ago. There is no information that can tie them to a threat to the US homeland as of now.
Many of the 400 migrants were released into the country by Customs and Border Protection after they crossed the southern border because none of them were on the government’s terrorism watchlist. At the time, the agency did not have any information that could cause concern.
{{/usCountry}}Many of the 400 migrants were released into the country by Customs and Border Protection after they crossed the southern border because none of them were on the government’s terrorism watchlist. At the time, the agency did not have any information that could cause concern.
{{/usCountry}}But in recent days, the terrorist attacks in Russia have led to increasing concerns over ISIS and its offshoot ISIS-K. The DHS has been keeping a close eye on migrants from countries where ISIS-K has been active, including Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia and Russia.
“The fact that the whereabouts were unknown is clearly alarming,” said former FBI counterterrorism section chief Christopher O’Leary. He works at security consulting firm The Soufan Group at present.
“I believe the [U.S.] is scrambling to locate these individuals, and using the immigration charges is not uncommon,” O’Leary said. “They are in violation of that law. And if you need to take somebody off the street, that’s a good approach to do it.”