ADVERTISEMENT

Afghan National on Terror Watch List Arrested Amid Migrant Surge

Getty Images
May 15, 2023

An Afghan national whose name is on the terror watchlist crossed into the United States illegally hours before Title 42 expired last week.

The terror list suspect crossed into California last Wednesday, Fox News reported:

The Afghan national crossed the border with a group of migrants near Otay Mesa, California, the sources said. Border Patrol agents took the migrants to a processing station, where a fingerprint scan determined the Afghan was a match on the Terrorist Screening Database. The FBI was then notified, confirmed the results, and began an investigation.

The report comes amid a surge of migrants illegally crossing the border. Since Title 42 expired on Thursday, thousands of migrants have entered the country, where they've been released by the Biden administration.

The days leading up to the end of Title 42 saw record numbers of migrant crossings. More than 67,700 apprehensions occurred along the border last week, not including at least 15,780 gotaways, Border Patrol chief Raul Ortiz said Friday.

At least 10,000 migrants were apprehended by agents on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday—the highest daily numbers on record. Officials warned before the expiration that 700,000 migrants were waiting in Mexico to cross.