An increasing number of people on the U.S. terror watchlist are being encountered at the southern border, the Department of Homeland Security warned this week.
“Although encounters with migrants have declined from record highs in December, migrants seeking entry to the United States are still arriving at a rate that is on pace to nearly match 2022 total encounters,” the agency said in its 2024 Homeland Threat Assessment report released this week.
"As part of this increase, we have encountered growing numbers of individuals in the Terrorist Screening Data Set (TSDS), also known as the ‘watchlist,’" the report said.
As of July, around 160 illegal immigrants on that watchlist have "attempted to enter the United States via the southern border this year, most of whom were encountered attempting to illegally enter between ports of entry," according to the DHS.
The report noted that the 2024 election cycle could be a key event for domestic and foreign extremists, and that China, Iran, and Russia were likely to attempt to steer the election toward a candidate who may be more favorable for their nations.
"During the next year, we assess that the threat of violence from individuals radicalized in the United States will remain high, but largely unchanged, marked by lone offenders or small group attacks that occur with little warning," the DHS said. "Foreign terrorist groups like al-Qaida and ISIS are seeking to rebuild overseas, and they maintain worldwide networks of supporters that could seek to target the Homeland. … Domestic and foreign adversaries will likely continue to target our critical infrastructure over the next year, in part because they perceive targeting these sectors would be detrimental to U.S. industries and the American way of life."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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