An unnamed Afghan on the terror watchlist was arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol on May 10 at the U.S.-Mexico border near Otay Mesa in Southern California, when trying to enter with a group of migrants.
San Diego Supervisor Jim Desmond said the incident was a “stark reminder” that the federal government should be doing more to maintain a secure border.
“As a nation, we must remain steadfast in our commitment to protect the safety and security of our citizens,” he said in a May 14 press release. “A strong and orderly border process is crucial in preventing individuals with nefarious intentions from entering our country.”
Desmond additionally said in the release that he believes the country’s approach to border protection has “allowed fentanyl to pour into the country, asylum seekers to be human trafficked, and terrorists to attempt entry.”
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Escondido) additionally reported his attempts to confirm the news of the arrest were met with denials from the Biden Administration, according to a post he made on Twitter on May 15.
“This is a good example of why we needed to have a system to allow people to come here legally,” he wrote.
The arrest came just days after news outlets reported a leaked email showing the border patrol had released a record number of illegal migrants into the United States.
Agents were instructed in the email to release migrants without a way of tracking them after five of nine border patrol sectors were at 125 percent capacity, according to ABC News.
The increase of recent migrants into the United States came before the lifting of Title 42, which heightened restrictions on asylum seekers from entering the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.
