Mayorkas Grilled by Senate GOP for Release of Suspected ISIS Terrorists

(BrightPress.org) – Senator Ted Budd, along with 20 other Republican senators, is demanding answers from Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. They are questioning the release of eight individuals with suspected ISIS ties into the U.S. These arrests, made by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), were prompted after one of the suspects was caught on a wiretap discussing bombs.

Budd released a letter addressing the fact that Biden is failing the country with the open southern border as it risks national security. He went on to say that the American people need preventative action so this doesn’t happen again.

Individuals from Tajikistan crossed the southern border last year and this year. Some entered using the CBP One app. Reports indicate that federal authorities, upon entry, did not detect any ISIS ties, which were discovered only recently. This oversight is alarming given the potential threat these individuals pose.

Christopher Wray, FBI Director, has voiced similar concerns. He highlighted the risk of a coordinated attack in the U.S., akin to the recent ISIS-K attack in Russia. Wray also mentioned a smuggling network with ISIS ties, further complicating the security landscape. Last August, the FBI was investigating illegal aliens from Uzbekistan and other countries, who traveled to the U.S. with the help of an ISIS-linked smuggler.

Multiple recent releases of individuals on the terrorist watchlist into the U.S. add to the urgency. Notable cases include an Afghan national linked to Hezb-e-Islami and a Somalian affiliated with Al-Shabaab. Both were released into the U.S. and later re-arrested due to their potential terrorist ties. Another suspect, Jovokhir Attoev, entered the U.S. in February 2022, but his ISIS ties were only discovered later.

Additionally, two Jordanian nationals tried to breach Marine Corps Base Quantico, one of whom was on the U.S. terrorist watchlist.

Budd and his colleagues demand detailed information about these arrests. They seek answers on the identities, entry points, and purposes of these individuals. The senators are asking if these individuals are part of ISIS or another terrorist group and whether they were planning attacks or possessed weapons.