EAGLE PASS, TX - According to multiple reports, U.S. authorities at the southern border have arrested the fourth Iranian "special interest alien" just in the month of October.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sources told Fox News that one Iranian man in his 40s was taken into custody on the morning of October 15th in Eagle Pass, Texas, after crossing the border at approximately 3:00 a.m.
The man, along with the other three Iranians are considered "special interest aliens" because according to CBP, they are from countries identified by the U.S. government as having "conditions that promote or protect terrorism" or potentially pose some type of threat to the national security of the U.S.
Those classified as "special interest aliens" undergo additional vetting and questioning after being apprehended. Days before this arrest, CBP agents apprehended two Lebanese nationals in Eagle Pass, Texas, who were also considered to be "special interest aliens."
Separately, in the Rio Grande Valley Sector, officials have apprehended 19 Iranians and 17 Syrians since Monday, October 9th.
The development and announcement of these apprehensions come amid concerns of security and the potential of terrorist attacks after the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7th, killing 1,300 Israelis and wounding thousand more.
The Iranian government threated Israel to stop its retaliation against Hamas before "it's too late." Lebanon borders with Israel and is also home to the terror group Hezbollah, which like Hamas, is designated by the State Department as a terror group. They are also funded by Iran.
The Department of Homeland Security's threat assessment, which was published in September 2023, noted that agents have encountered a growing number of those individuals on the "watch list" and warned that "terrorists and criminal actors may exploit the elevated flow and increasingly complex security environment to enter the United States."
The assessment also reportedly said, "Individuals with terrorism connections are interested in using established travel routes and permissive environments to facilitate access to the United States."
A House report released in early October 2023 alleged that the Biden administration's "failures on the southern border" have resulted in "virtually no enforcement of our immigration laws."
According to the Daily Mail, just days after its attack on Israel, Hamas' leader has called for a "global day of Jihad.
In a rare phone briefing for reporters, FBI Director Christopher Wray and other FBI officials said that these concerns should not be discounted, claiming that threats to the U.S. have been rising since Hamas invaded Israel.
Wray said, "The threat is very much ongoing and in fact, the threat picture continues to evolve. Here in the U.S., we cannot and do not discount the possibility that Hamas and other foreign terrorist organizations could exploit the conflict to call on their supporters to conduct attacks on our own soil."
Border agents are on high alert, keeping an eye on whether those on the terror watch list or from hostile nations, are illegally entering the U.S. in the wake of the attack on Israel.
A CBP source told Breitbart that although most "special interest aliens" are not terrorists, the high volume of border crossings makes it harder for officials to establish who is legitimately seeking asylum and who is a threat.
The source said, "It's understandable that people will flee from countries where terrorism exists, but with such high numbers of migrants from everywhere crossing daily, it's hard to distinguish between those fleeing the conditions and those who may be actively participating in those activities."
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sources told Fox News that one Iranian man in his 40s was taken into custody on the morning of October 15th in Eagle Pass, Texas, after crossing the border at approximately 3:00 a.m.
The man, along with the other three Iranians are considered "special interest aliens" because according to CBP, they are from countries identified by the U.S. government as having "conditions that promote or protect terrorism" or potentially pose some type of threat to the national security of the U.S.
Those classified as "special interest aliens" undergo additional vetting and questioning after being apprehended. Days before this arrest, CBP agents apprehended two Lebanese nationals in Eagle Pass, Texas, who were also considered to be "special interest aliens."
Separately, in the Rio Grande Valley Sector, officials have apprehended 19 Iranians and 17 Syrians since Monday, October 9th.
The development and announcement of these apprehensions come amid concerns of security and the potential of terrorist attacks after the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7th, killing 1,300 Israelis and wounding thousand more.
The Iranian government threated Israel to stop its retaliation against Hamas before "it's too late." Lebanon borders with Israel and is also home to the terror group Hezbollah, which like Hamas, is designated by the State Department as a terror group. They are also funded by Iran.
The Department of Homeland Security's threat assessment, which was published in September 2023, noted that agents have encountered a growing number of those individuals on the "watch list" and warned that "terrorists and criminal actors may exploit the elevated flow and increasingly complex security environment to enter the United States."
The assessment also reportedly said, "Individuals with terrorism connections are interested in using established travel routes and permissive environments to facilitate access to the United States."
A House report released in early October 2023 alleged that the Biden administration's "failures on the southern border" have resulted in "virtually no enforcement of our immigration laws."
According to the Daily Mail, just days after its attack on Israel, Hamas' leader has called for a "global day of Jihad.
In a rare phone briefing for reporters, FBI Director Christopher Wray and other FBI officials said that these concerns should not be discounted, claiming that threats to the U.S. have been rising since Hamas invaded Israel.
Wray said, "The threat is very much ongoing and in fact, the threat picture continues to evolve. Here in the U.S., we cannot and do not discount the possibility that Hamas and other foreign terrorist organizations could exploit the conflict to call on their supporters to conduct attacks on our own soil."
Border agents are on high alert, keeping an eye on whether those on the terror watch list or from hostile nations, are illegally entering the U.S. in the wake of the attack on Israel.
A CBP source told Breitbart that although most "special interest aliens" are not terrorists, the high volume of border crossings makes it harder for officials to establish who is legitimately seeking asylum and who is a threat.
The source said, "It's understandable that people will flee from countries where terrorism exists, but with such high numbers of migrants from everywhere crossing daily, it's hard to distinguish between those fleeing the conditions and those who may be actively participating in those activities."
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