FACTSHEET: The Biden Border Crisis Presents a Significant Security Risk

WASHINGTON, DC – Despite a record number of illegal border crossings, including encounters with known or suspected terrorists, President Biden, “Border Czar” Vice President Kamala Harris, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continue to strip U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) of critical tools that have proven to help manage the staggering number of migrants crossing our border.

Now that an unprecedented total of 66 people whose names appear on the terror watch list were stopped trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border between ports of entry in Fiscal Year (FY) 2022, it’s clear that the administration has no plan to address the very real national security threat at the Southwest border.

Today, Homeland Security Republicans released the latest edition of the “Startling Stats” fact sheet highlighting how the Biden Border Crisis presents a significant homeland security risk.

“It’s extremely concerning that encounters of individuals found on the terror watchlist between ports of entry at the Southwest border has climbed by 10 just last month alone—surpassing total encounters from the previous five years combined,” Ranking Member John Katko (R-NY). “Under the Biden administration’s reckless open border security policies, we have no idea who is entering our country, from an unprecedented number of known or suspected terrorists to hundreds of violent gang members. The Biden administration is sending a clear message to bad actors, criminals, and terrorists from around world that our Southwest border is open. I urge this administration to start taking the dangerous threat to our homeland security seriously before even more irreversible damage is done.”

Key Facts:

• Since President Biden has been in office, there have been nearly 3.4 million migrant encounters at the Southwest border, in addition to over 900,000 known gotaways who evaded U.S. Border Patrol agents.
• July was the 17th straight month with more than 150,000 encounters – a trend never before recorded.
• As of July 31, 66 people whose names appear on the terror watch list were stopped trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border between ports of entry this fiscal year.
• In FY 2022, CBP has already arrested 23,264 individuals attempting to cross the border with criminal convictions and 627 known gang members, including 256 members of MS-13.
• It is the responsibility of the federal government to secure our nation’s sovereign borders. However, under the Biden administration, states like Texas and Arizona, have had to take matters into their own hands to keep their citizens safe.

Download the “Starling Stats” fact sheet here.

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