DANGER LURKING: Homeland Security warns 50 illegals brought into the U.S. by ISIS-connected smuggling ring are still unaccounted for

07/01/2024 / By Laura Harris

Officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have revealed that approximately 50 out of around 400 illegal immigrants brought into the United States by a human smuggling network linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) remain unaccounted for.

According to DHS officials, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have been internally tracking and arresting hundreds of migrants smuggled into the U.S. through this ISIS-linked network for several months now. These migrants were released into the U.S. after being encountered by border officials at the U.S.-Mexico border.

In defense of their action, the three DHS officials stated that the 400 illegal immigrants were initially released into the U.S. as they were not on the federal terrorism watch list. They also claimed that there was no immediate information available linking them to the ISIS smuggling group at that time. But when the DHS officials discovered that they had some specific and troubling connections to ISIS, they immediately tracked and arrested these people.

But to date, of the 400 known migrants – mostly from the Muslim-majority nations of Central Asia – smuggled in, around 150 have already been deported or have left the country voluntarily. Around another 200 have already been arrested, while the whereabouts of the remaining 50 are still unknown.

The DHS officials clarified that despite numerous arrests and deportations, none of the individuals have been charged with terrorism or terror-related offenses so far. The charges have primarily focused on immigration violations. Hence, two federal officials assured the public that the administration of President Joe Biden is not in a state of panic over the missing migrants but is merely prioritizing their arrests.

“In this case, it was the information that suggested a potential tie to ISIS because of some of the individuals involved that led us to want to take extra care,” a senior Biden administration official said. “Out of an abundance of caution, [we made] sure that we exercised our authority in the most expansive and appropriate way to mitigate risk because of this potential connection being made.”

Terrorist networks taking advantage of open borders to smuggle people in

The DHS announcement follows the arrest of eight men from the Central Asian country of Tajikistan with suspected links to ISIS in New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles earlier this June.

According to anonymous sources, these individuals had entered the U.S. via the southern border last spring and successfully passed the screening process. Initial vetting showed no indication of ties to ISIS at that time, but concerns later arose about their presence. This led to the close monitoring of the Federal Bureau of Investigation‘s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the arrest by ICE, which is now handling the deportation process.

Additionally, reports indicate that the group that brought these men to the U.S. has ties to the same network that brought a group of Uzbekistani nationals to Maryland in April. (Related: 8 Tajikistan nationals with suspected ISIS ties ARRESTED after crossing southern border.)

“I think what [the incident with the Uzbekistani nationals] did last summer was suggest Central Asians are potentially a population of concern, given what we know about the global ISIS network right now,” a senior U.S. official said.

These incidents have prompted a backlash among Republicans as they validate their national security concerns.

“We know for a fact that dangerous cartels and gangs have used our broken borders as a means to enter the United States. Now, we have confirmation that terrorist-related networks are using similar tactics to smuggle people into our country,” U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) said.

“Every light is blinking red. We cannot continue to put border security on the back burner. That goes for both the Biden administration and Congress.”

Read more stories about the illegals entering the U.S. through the southern border at InvasionUSA.news.

Watch this clip from the “Worldview Report” as host Brannon Howse interviews Anni Cyrus about the extremist smugglers helping illegals cross the border.

This video is from the Worldview Report channel on Brighteon.com.