Immigration
Terror watchlist encounters at the southern border reach all-time record
From the beginning of the fiscal year in October to the end of May, Border Patrol agents arrested 125 individuals who are suspected or known terrorists attempting to cross the ports of entry between the U.S. and Mexico
June 22, 2023 9:07am
Updated: December 4, 2023 7:48pm
During Fiscal Year 2023, Border Patrol agents at the southern border intercepted a record number of individuals who are on the FBI’s terror watchlist, according to new data released on Tuesday.
From the beginning of the fiscal year in October to the end of May, Border Patrol agents arrested 125 suspected or known terrorists attempting to cross the ports of entry between the U.S. and Mexico.
The number is a significant increase from previous years. Fiscal Year 2022 saw 98 encounters with migrants on the FBI’s terror watchlist, breaking a record. Meanwhile, Fiscal Year 2021 saw only 15 arrests, Fiscal Year 2020 saw only three, and Fiscal Year 2019 saw zero.
The FBI’s Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB) compiles the identities and records of known or suspected terrorists, or individuals who associate with them.
"The TSDS originated as the consolidated terrorist watchlist to house information on known or suspected terrorists (KSTs) but has evolved over the last decade to include additional individuals who represent a potential threat to the United States, including known affiliates of watchlisted individuals," Customs and Border Protection said.
While the number of individuals on the terror watch list that have been caught crossing the border is small compared to the total number of migrants intercepted, authorities believe it is a cause of concern that the number has been rising.
In particular, border officials worry that many individuals on the list could have escaped Border Patrol agents and entered the country undetected. Last year, 599,000 undocumented migrants escaped border patrol custody, an increase from 390,000 in Fiscal Year 2021.
In May, Border Patrol agents encountered a total of 204,561 undocumented migrants crossing the northern and southern border, bringing the total number of migrant encounters for Fiscal Year 2023 so far to 1.6 million. There were 2.4 million encounters in Fiscal Year 2022 and 1.7 million in Fiscal Year 2021.
