Homeland Security says ‘growing’ number of people on US terror watchlist being encountered at the border

Watchlist Individuals at U.S. Border: Homeland Security Issues Warning

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is raising a red flag about an alarming trend: an increasing number of people on the U.S. terrorist watchlist are attempting to enter the country through its borders. In their recent 2024 Homeland Threat Assessment report, DHS disclosed that while encounters with migrants have declined since a peak in December, there is still a notable surge of people trying to enter the United States. This surge could match the total encounters observed in 2022.

This rise includes a worrisome uptick in individuals from the Terrorist Screening Data Set (TSDS), commonly referred to as the ‘watchlist.’ According to the report, approximately 160 non-U.S. individuals on this watchlist have made attempts to enter the United States via the southern border in 2023. Most of these encounters took place when they tried to enter the country illegally between official ports of entry.

This number represents an increase compared to the roughly 100 such encounters during the entire fiscal year of 2022. It’s important to note that being on the terror watchlist can range from having associations with watchlisted individuals to direct involvement in terrorist activities.

The DHS report also predicts that in the upcoming year, the threat of violence from individuals radicalized within the United States will remain high but relatively stable. This threat usually materializes as acts committed by individuals or small groups, often with little prior warning. Moreover, foreign terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda and ISIS aim to rebuild abroad while maintaining global networks of supporters, potentially posing a threat to the U.S. homeland.

Although terrorism remains a significant concern, the DHS report underscores that illegal drugs originating in Mexico and being sold in the United States are likely to continue causing more American fatalities than any other threat. Over the past year, traffickers based in the U.S. have become more involved in producing and distributing fentanyl, leading to even deadlier forms of this already lethal drug.

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas stressed the significance of the Homeland Threat Assessment report, stating that it offers valuable insights for government partners at all levels, as well as the private and nonprofit sectors. This information empowers them to make well-informed decisions to address these pressing security challenges.