Federal immigration authorities have detained an illegal immigrant wanted in Senegal for alleged terrorist activities, two weeks after he was released into the country after being spotted by agents at the southern border.
In a press release, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said a 29-year-old “unlawfully present citizen of Mauritania or Senegal” was arrested on Oct. 17.
ICE said he was wanted by Senegalese authorities for criminal conspiracy in connection with a terrorist organization; destruction, degradation and damage related to terrorist organizations; direct provocation of an armed crowd and actions (or preparatory actions) intended to undermine public safety.
But he was first found on October 3 — two weeks earlier — by Border Patrol agents at the southern border near Lukeville, Arizona.
He was later processed by officers and given a Notice to Appear in New York City and released on his own recognizance.
A week after his release, on October 10, ICE Homeland Security Investigations agents notified Enforcement and Removal Operations in New York City that he was wanted on terrorism charges in Senegal.
ICE said the illegal immigrant was wanted for criminal conspiracy in connection with a terrorist organization; destruction, degradation and damage related to terrorist organizations, in addition to other terrorist activities. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
The New York City ICE Fugitive Task Force then arrested him “without incident” outside the Federal Plaza immigration courthouse in New York City.
He is currently being held in deportation proceedings.
“Non-citizens who engage in or are suspected of supporting terrorism are a direct threat to our national security and will be immediately removed from the United States,” ERO New York City Field Office Director Kenneth Genalo said in a statement. “ERO New York City will use every tool at our disposal to keep American citizens and residents safe from those who mistakenly believe they can exploit our immigration laws to escape justice in other countries.”
Following the immigrant’s release on October 10, ICE Homeland Security Investigations agents notified Enforcement and Removal Operations that he was wanted on terrorism charges in Senegal.NYPJ
But the release of foreigners wanted on terror charges in other countries is likely to fuel ongoing concerns about terrorists or suspected terrorists entering the US at the besieged southern border – especially in the wake of Hamas terror attacks on Israel.
Border Patrol agents have previously expressed concern to Fox News that unless someone has committed a crime in the US, agents may not know an immigrant’s criminal history because many countries do not share their databases with the US
Republicans have separately raised concerns about the number of terrorism watchlists found at the southern border, which hit a record in FY23, as well as the number of “foreigners of special interest” encountered – in addition to the hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants who evaded agents as “refugees”.
Border Patrol agents have informed that unless someone has committed a crime in the US, most agents will not know an immigrant’s criminal history because other countries do not share their databases with the U.SNYPJ
Recently, a CBP memo warned agents about the possibility that foreign fighters linked to terrorist groups like Hamas could try and enter the US — although CBP has insisted that it has seen no signs of fighters trying to do so.
The Department of Homeland Security’s fiscal 2024 threat assessment warned that agents have faced increasing numbers on watch lists and warned that “terrorists and criminals may exploit the high flows and increasingly complex security environment to enter the United States.”
DHS has insisted that it has a “multi-layered border security effort” including checks and inspections, and has also said that encounters with known or suspected terrorists are rare.
“Our border security efforts include biometric and biographical screening and checks,” a DHS official said this week. “CBP screens and examines every individual encountered, and if an individual is determined to pose a potential threat to national security or public safety, in coordination with the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), we either deny entry, detain, remove or refer them to other federal agencies for further investigation and prosecution as appropriate.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
