Only A Matter Of Time - ISIS Linked Individuals Stream Over Biden's Border

A startling new report has revealed that an ISIS-affiliated smuggling network was able to slip over 400 individuals through the U.S. southern border on the Biden administration's watch, with the location of more than 50 of them currently unknown. Experts say the administration's open border policies are vastly increasing the likelihood of a major terrorist attack occurring on U.S. soil.

Three U.S. officials told NBC News that 150 of the individuals have been arrested, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is currently attempting to locate the remaining persons. During an appearance on MSNBC on Wednesday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stated that "we have no evidence that they are individuals plotting to harm the United States. ... It's very important to note that the safety and security of the American people is our highest priority. We screen and vet individuals at the time of encounter. If we learn of derogatory information, we take enforcement action."

Still, a senior Biden administration official told NBC News that the "potential tie to ISIS ... led us to want to take extra care, and out of an abundance of caution make sure that we exercised our authority in the most expansive and appropriate way to mitigate risk because of this potential connection being made."

In recent months, a number of national security experts have expressed alarm due to the dramatic increase in terrorism warning signs, including FBI Director Christopher Wray, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, CENTCOM Commander General Erik Kurilla, and former National Counterterrorism Center director Christine Abizaid. 

This week, the Special Operations Association of America (SOAA), which represents the U.S. military's special forces, added their voice to the chorus in a letter which emphasized that the organization was "gravely concerned by the current heightened risk of terrorist attacks against targets inside the United States and both U.S. and allied interests abroad."

The group highlighted President Joe Biden's decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan as particularly catastrophic. "The United States has lost significant intelligence collection capabilities in the region, leaving federal authorities blind and deaf to emerging threats emanating from the region," the letter noted. "The creation of new and reestablishment of previous terrorist training camps within Afghanistan has led to successful, deadly attacks by the Islamic State's regional branch against targets in Iran and Russia and elsewhere, adding further credence to the notion that the U.S. is at risk."

SOAA went on to cite the border as another area of paramount concern. "This risk is compounded by developments in the Middle East and the porous, unsecured southern border through which we have seen numerous instances of individuals on terrorist watchlists and others from adversarial countries attempt to enter the U.S. -- and those are the ones we know about only because they were detected. We do not know how many other terrorists are already currently inside the U.S."

In comments to The Washington Stand, Lt. Gen. (Ret.) William G. Boykin, a 36-year Army veteran who currently serves as executive vice president at Family Research Council, was unsurprised by reports of ISIS-linked activity at the border.

"This infiltration by terrorist groups is not something new," he explained. "Ever since the Biden administration has occupied the White House, there has been a steady flow of criminals -- as well as terrorists -- entering the country. It's impossible to tell just how many have actually come into America since he took office, but law enforcement and the intelligence community have been aware of this. In my view, this is a reminder of the imperative to close our borders and to stop allowing these kinds of people to come into America when we know that they are a serious threat to our national security."

Lt. Col. (Ret.) Bob Maginnis, FRC's senior fellow for National Security, echoed Boykin's concerns.

"The U.S., beginning with President Obama, has battled ISIS mostly inside Iraq, Syria, and more recently in Afghanistan. However, even though we continue to pressure that radical group with our troops on the ground in the Mideast, that terrorist network has consistently wanted to bring the fight to America's homeland," he told TWS. 

"Unfortunately, President Biden's open border policy has invited arguably a cross-section of bad actors into this country, and inevitably some have terrorists associated with ISIS. It is only a matter of time before these sleeper cells now inside America gain the knowledge and means to create yet another September 11, 2001 'Black Swan' event."

Originally published at The Washington Stand